Then and Now
by xxxXXxEllexXXxxx
Summary: How do we avoid the past? Simple, we try and ignore every little sign to do with it, but with a constant reminder of her past living next door, will Gabriella ever find peace, or will her life be thrown into turmoil once more? Troyella
1. Starts With Goodbye

Then and Now

**Hey guys, this is my new story, I hope that you like it, please review it and tell me what you think and whether or not you think that I should continue on with it.**

**Chapter 1**

Sitting in the uncomfortable chair of the plane, squashed between the screaming toddler and the window, Gabriella Montez sighed heavily.

This would be her tenth move in only six short years. This time however, she was moving without her mother and had actually managed to make a few friends in her previous home. Her Mother had promised that she would not have to move again, at least not until college, and even then, it would be Gabriella's choice to move to wherever she wanted to go.

But all of that was before the accident. The accident that had changed Gabriella's life forever as far as she was concerned. Nothing would bring back the life that she had once cherished so much.

**Three months ago**

**"Mom," whined Gabriella, "please, please, please go out and get me some aspirin. I feel like I'm dying here!" Gabriella finished by dramatically flopping backwards onto the couch, one hand pressed over her forehead. A ball of fluff jumped up beside her, and Gabriella instantly reached out to pat the long-haired Chihuahuas fur as Pippin whined softly, curling into her owner.**

**Laughing, Maria Montez eyed up her sixteen-year-old daughter and her dog, smiling at the pair. Any other teenager would have at least attempted to fake sick one day out of the school year, but not Gabriella, she had the perfect attendance record. It was only now, on the first day of the school summer vacation that she had become genuinely ill.**

**Shaking her head once more, Maria smiled back at her daughter, "Gabby, Gabby, Gabby, stop being so melodramatic," still chuckling, Maria pressed on, regardless of Gabriella's mumbles that she was being perfectly serious. "And anyway sweetie, how am I supposed to know what you want? Get up and come with me Gab."**

**Gabriella's head lifted up slightly so that she could look at her Mother, causing Pippin to whine and jump down. She glared at her owner before trudging to her own pillow in the corner of the room. Gabriella's long, dark curls splayed out on the cushions behind her, "Mom, as long as it gets rid of this headache, I really, really don't care what you get me, but I can't move without aching everywhere, even places I didn't know I could ache, so there is no way that I am moving from this chair," Gabriella muttered. Her head flopped back onto the sofa with a groan causing Maria to chuckle once more and Pippin to shoot her another disgusted look, turning towards the wall. Grabbing her car keys Maria headed out of the door. Maria stalled momentarily, calling a goodbye and I love you to Gabriella, smiling when she heard her only child yell the same thing back, laughing at Pippin's small yelps.**

**An hour later, Gabriella was still lying on the sofa, one leg dangling over the arm and the other resting on the floor. Now though, she had a small, wet towel pressed across her eyes and forehead, when the phone started to ring.**

**Groaning loudly again, Gabriella lifted her hand that already held the house phone to her ear and pressed the button. "What?" She snapped tetchily into the phone, not even bothering to check the caller I.D. first.**

**"I hope that you didn't check the caller I.D. on the other end before you answered that Gabriella Montez," a voice on the other end laughed. Gabriella smiled softly as she recognised the voice of one of her two best friends', Avril Valentine, float through the speaker.**

**"Sorry Avril, I didn't check, and I'm feeling a bit like death warmed up right about now," Gabriella apologised profusely, blushing slightly underneath her damp towel, feeling Pippin jump up beside her and start to lick her hand.**

**The laughter at the other end just continued, "Damn Brie," Avril managed to choke out, "Somebody else might have just hung up after a greeting like that, and if it were the likes of Duffy calling, she would have killed you there and then!" Avril chuckled softer now, referring to their other best friend, Gabriella's only other friend, before she burst into hysterical laughter once again. "You're blushing aren't you, Brie?" She questioned, but it came out as more of a statement, and Gabriella found herself blushing even more as she mumbled her agreement. Her actions simply causing more laughter from the other end of the line.**

**The two girls chatted happily for a further twenty minutes. During that time, they had managed to find themselves in a heated argument over whether Hairspray or Chicago were better musicals. However an incessant beeping in Gabriella's ear signalled that she had another call and she told Avril to hold on for a minute.**

**"Hello," Gabriella whispered nervously, far more used to prank phone calls and being verbally abused on the phone by the schools cheerleaders and jocks than anyone should ever have to be.**

**"Gabriella, it's just me sweetheart." Gabriella breathed out a sigh of relief as her Mother's voice echoed throughout her ear, "I just wanted to say that I'll be home in about ten minutes. Sorry that I took so long, but I bumped into Joan at the shops, and you know that when we start, we just can't stop."**

**Giggling slightly, Gabriella grinned at the thought of her Mom and Duffy's Mom, Joan. She knew that the two friends could literally talk for hours when they got together, much like the younger girls' themselves.**

**"Its fine Mom, really, I've just been talking to Avril, and I'm feeling a little bit better," Gabriella smiled again, "But anyway, what did you ge-." She was abruptly cut off by the sudden deafening squeal of brakes, and her Mother's scream, before the crunching of metal followed by the phone going dead. Leaving a silence that was ghostly.**

**Panicking, Gabriella repeatedly tried ringing her Mother's cell phone. She screamed in frustration at the insistent message that the phone was out of the calling range. Pippin sat up straight next to the terrified young girl, the tiny dogs ears pricked upright as she gazed at her owned in confusion. Occasionally she nuzzled against Gabriella's hand, attempting to soothe her distress.**

**Now sat bolt upright, Gabriella was breathing heavily, her eyes wide with fright, one hand clutched tightly in Pippin's fur. She suddenly remembered that Avril was still on the other line and quickly pressed onto that call.**

**"Avril," Gabriella whimpered timidly, still breathing heavily, the tears threatening to spill down her cheeks.**

**"Brie? What's wrong? What's happening?" Avril's tone was immediately more frantic as she too started to worry for her friend.**

**After hearing Gabriella's explanation of what was going on and how terrified she was, Avril had said that she would get a cab, pick up Duffy, and the two of them would be at the Montez's apartment as soon as possible.**

**True to their word, twenty minutes later, Avril and Duffy burst through the front door to the apartment. Their speed was a minor miracle for the area of New York that they lived in.**

**Instantly, they sat either side of Gabriella. Each of them hugging her tightly, as the three girls, the blonde, the brunette and the red head sat side by side, watching as dusk settled in and darkness fell over the lively area, the hours dragging slowly by. Pippin curled into a tight ball on Gabriella's lap, snuggling deeply into her knee.**

**Ten p.m. that night, six or more hours after the phone call, there was a knock at the door. Immediately, Gabriella sprinted for it, Pippin following directly on her heels. Wrenching the door open as soon as she reached it, her heart pounded frantically as she looked at the two police officers that stood there.**

**"Gabriella Montez?" One of them asked, almost silently. When Gabriella nodded her head slowly, the two faces instantly softened, "I'm afraid that there has been a terrible accident."**

**Gabriella paled drastically as those words rang through her ears. She could feel the presence of Pippin, Avril and Duffy straight behind her, ready to help their friend, no matter what happened.**

**"I'm afraid that your Mother, Maria Montez," the second officer continued, looking up to see the three young girls' nod their heads at the name, before continuing once more. "She was involved in a head on collision, I'm very sorry to tell you that she died on impact."**

**Instantaneously, Gabriella fell to her knees in the doorway, hysterical sobs shaking her entire body as she felt Duffy's arms surround her. The red head had also dropped to her knees and to pull Gabriella tightly to her, gently rocking the hysterical girl backwards and forwards, Avril saying goodbye to the officers, before joining her two sobbing friends on the floor. Pippin placed a paw on either one of her knees, nestling as close to Gabriella as she possibly could.**

**End Flashback**

The weeks that followed were the worst three weeks of Gabriella's existence. As all of the rest of her family had died before she was born, or while she was only an infant, Gabriella and Pippin had lived with Duffy and her parents for the three weeks, and the three girls', along with Joan and Avril's Mother, Dianne, had managed to put together Maria's funeral.

Duffy and Avril had even managed to get Gabriella to sing three songs of her own choice at the funeral. She had decided to start with 'When You're gone' by Avril Lavigne, followed by 'Starts With Goodbye' by Carrie Underwood, although she rewrote the entire first verse, and whilst her Mother's coffin was being carried out of the church, she softly sang 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton. By the time she had finished, there wasn't a dry eye in the room. Gabriella herself had tears streaming down her face, like mini waterfalls.

Three days later, the will had been read out, and Gabriella had found that she and Pippin were in for a shock change of scenery, as they would be moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico. After her eighteen short months in New York, she would be moving back to where her parents originally came from, to live with their best friends' and roommates from high school and college, the Danforth's. Gabriella vaguely remembered living next door to them, until she was three years of age, when the Danforth's had moved from Arizona, back to New Mexico, not that Gabriella herself had ever visited Albuquerque.

So now, here she was, on a plane to her new life, blaming herself for everything that had happened to her Mother, no matter how much Avril and Duffy had tried to tell her otherwise. But Gabriella knew in her heart of hearts that there was only one person that could make her believe that the accident wasn't her fault. He had broken his promise to her four months ago now, and had abandoned her to the punishments of the jocks and cheerleaders, as he had promised he would never do.

Gabriella sighed once more, realising that they had finally landed. She quickly grabbed her hand luggage and Pippin's carrier; swiftly disembarking the plane, and heading off to find her suitcase. Slowly walking through to the front of the airport, where hopefully, the Danforth's would be waiting to meet her.

Looking up as she walked through the double doors, Gabriella read the sign out loud to herself and Pippin, "Welcome to Albuquerque."

**Hey guys, well that was the first chapter of Then and Now, please tell me if you want me to continue, and I just want to say that I would recommend any of the songs mentioned in this story if you've never heard them before, especially 'Tears in Heaven' by Eric Clapton, anyway please tell me what you think…**


	2. You've Got A Friend

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys, here's chapter 2 of Then and Now, thanks to those of you who reviewed the first chapter, but if you want this story to continue I really need more reviews! The more that you all review, the more I know what's going right or wrong with this and I can hopefully make the following chapters better.**

**Chapter 2**

Walking through the masses of crowds in the airport, Gabriella's eyes scanned the hundreds of waiting people, looking desperately for a sign with her name on it. Her hand instinctively reached up to hold the necklace that she never took off, even now, four months after he had left her, when she no longer had any clue as to where he may be.

Her eyes suddenly locked onto a sign, and she froze as still as a statue. Her eyes travelling the length of the person, taking in his obvious athletic build and the cloudlike afro that moved with his body as he jumped out of the way of passers by. His eyes scanning the thinning crowd desperately, as the now very nervous Gabriella had done, before his warm brown eyes caught on her own, and he started to head straight for her.

Gabriella gulped in fear before moving towards him, visibly shaking as she dragged her suitcase behind her. Noticing almost immediately that he was a jock, a group of people that she personally, was terrified of. Due to her petrifying experiences over the eighteen months that she had spent at her old school in New York.

"Gabriella Montez?" The darker coloured young man questioned, looking noticeably relieved when the girl opposite him nodded slowly. Breaking into a dazzling smile as he eyed her up and down, taking in all of her distinct features, and making Gabriella feel so safe and comfortable that she couldn't help but smile slightly herself. "I'm Chad Danforth, my parents sent me to pick you up because they couldn't get time away from work. They said to tell you that they're very sorry," Chad smiled gently at Gabriella as she nodded.

"That's fine, my Mom worked a lot anyway, so I was always used to being left alone," Gabriella muttered, watching the ground the entire time. But now, her head snapped up, and her eyes locked onto Chad's, a certain guardedness surrounding their chocolaty depths, "But I'm telling you now Chad, I am not a cheerleader, and I never will be one, if anything, I'm a bookworm, a complete nerd, so feel free to never talk to me outside of your parents' company, or even to bully me, if you must." Still watching Chad's face, Gabriella was shocked to find that a look of complete horror had crossed over his features at her last words.

"Gabriella, I don't know what went on at your old school in New York, but here, we don't have cliques. Heck, you just have to look at my group of friends, which you're very welcome to join by the way, 'cos you seem really nice and all. But I mean if you put labels on us, you'd probably have four jocks, three drama geeks and a nerd, who just happens to be my girlfriend, Taylor. So please don't feel threatened by me or anyone else around here," Chad pleaded with Gabriella. His eyes bore into hers the entire time, showing that he was being exceedingly truthful, "and I am really sorry to hear about what happened to your Mom, I wish I could do something more to help." Chad finished by pulling Gabriella into a gentle hug, which she would always be eternally grateful for, as he saw the tears start to well up in her eyes.

"Thank you Chad," Gabriella whispered. Quickly wiping at her eyes as she looked back up at him, his face only showing the deepest of concern, "and it really is nice to meet you, I've just had bad experiences with past jocks that I've met."

"I can tell," Chad chuckled. Grabbing the handle of Gabriella's suitcase, he started to pull it along, slinging his spare arm around the now smiling young brunettes shoulders. "Now let's get home so I can show you around before the parents' get back. By the way, can I call you something other than Gabriella? I mean don't get me wrong, it's a nice name and everything, it's just so long," Chad questioned, wrinkling his nose at Gabriella, causing her to burst into a fit of the giggles.

"Any variation of Gabriella is fine Chad. As long as it's not an insult and it doesn't begin with the letter E," Gabriella added the last part as an afterthought, and Chad looked over at her in confusion as they climbed into the front seats of his car.

"Why not starting with an E?" He asked, his brow furrowing slightly.

Gabriella sighed softly, her hand finding the locket once again. She ran a finger gently over the inscription on the back, something which she had memorised by this point, "Because Chad, somebody I still love with my whole heart called me Ella. It would drag up too many painful memories to hear people call me it now."

"Your Mom?" Chad guessed, turning his head slightly towards her as he stopped at some traffic lights.

"No," Gabriella muttered, shaking her head slightly, "A boy, one who I still love a hell of a lot, even if he did break the two biggest promises that he ever made to me."

"Well, if he left someone like you, he's a nutcase," Chad smiled at her and Gabriella giggled slightly, smiling back at Chad in way of thanks. Smoothly, he pulled onto the driveway in front of a large, cream, two-storey house, which Gabriella looked at in awe, having spent at least the last six years of her life living in apartment buildings.

Walking towards the house, Gabriella couldn't help but look back and forth. Her eyes drank in the luscious green lawns up and down the street, and the bright array of flowers that littered the various flowerbeds in the Danforth's front garden. Chad laughed at her until they both noticed a young woman with chocolate coloured skin sat on the front steps up to the porch of the cream coloured house, a book clutched in her lap.

"Taylor!" Chad called out happily, hurrying over to the girl, yanking Gabriella's suitcase behind him. Tenderly, he wrapped his spare arm around her, and kissed her lovingly on the lips, Gabriella following behind shyly. "Taylor, this is my new little sister Briella, Briella, this is my girlfriend, Taylor," Chad introduced the two girls to each other with a proud grin on his face as they smiled and shook each other's hand, saying hi to one another.

"It's nice to finally put a face to the name, you're all Chad's talked about for three weeks now, and I really am sorry to hear about your Mom, Gabriella," Taylor smiled sincerely at Gabriella, who nodded her head slightly and smiled back.

"Likewise, and thanks Taylor, it means a lot to me that you're both being so nice," Gabriella said, genuinely happy that she was meeting friendly people. Not the horrific bullies that she had imagined since she had found out that she was moving all of the way across the country. A small yap from one of the bags made both Taylor and Chad jump as Gabriella simply grinned and bent down, releasing the small dog from her confinement at long last.

Running from the carried, Pippin looked around at her new surroundings in excitement, running to Gabriella and licking her face. Gabriella laughed and scooped her up with one arm, facing the stunned teenagers once more. Taylor immediately started to coo over the small dog, rushing forwards to stroke here soft fur. Chad on the other hand continued to stare, tilting his head as though attempting to get a rounded view of the creature.

"What the hell is that?" He suddenly shrieked, still staring at the bundle of fluff safely tucked up in Gabriella's arms, on finger pointed straight at Pippin.

Gabriella laughed as she glanced at him, Taylor rolling her eyes at her boyfriend. "Chad, this is my puppy Pippin, she won't hurt you," Gabriella laughed softly. Chad glanced once more between Gabriella and the dog, slowly reaching out his hand, a grin spreading over his face as the small dog began to lick his hand. Gabriella chuckled and placed Pippin on the ground, where she proceeded to run around in circles, chasing her own tail.

"Anyway, now that my two favourite girls have met," Chad grinned and slung an arm around each girl, which made them both laugh, especially Gabriella, who he had only met for the first time in thirteen years roughly an hour ago. "How about we give Briella the grand tour? We can even show you your room, which is finished by the way, all of your furniture arrived last week."

After taking a long tour through the five bedroomed house, including the outdoor pool and the basketball court, they arrived at Gabriella's room. Chad then decided to point out that it was, in fact, right opposite his, making Taylor wish Gabriella good luck and ending in a bickering match between the two. Watching the two lovers, Gabriella burst into fits of laughter, causing Pippin to squirm in her arms as Chad tossed Taylor over his shoulder, Taylor thumping on his back, screaming at him as he turned the handle to the room.

Instantly, there was silence as Gabriella's eyes flickered around the room in awe. Chad smoothly placed Taylor back onto her feet, each of the couple carefully watching Gabriella's reaction to the room.

"Gabriella?" Taylor questioned tentatively, "Is it okay?" She watched as Gabriella turned back towards her and both she and Chad felt their hearts sink as Gabriella started to shake her head.

"It isn't okay Taylor," Gabriella whispered, "It's absolutely beautiful." Suddenly, Chad and Taylor's faces burst into enormous grins as they watched Gabriella slowly digest the sight of her new room.

The walls were a light lilac colour, perfect silver stars painted sporadically across the longer walls. All of Gabriella's white furniture went perfectly, her four-poster bed with a new baby blue cover, again covered in silver stars. Her two white bookcases, her two white bedside tables at either side of her bed, now each filled with two small lamps on each of them, each of the lamps with metal stands that twisted into several stars and a moon, and each with a lilac shade that matched the walls flawlessly. Her white blanket box at the end of her bed, two white double doors that led to an enormous, oversized built in wardrobe. Her overstuffed armchair was in the corner, covered with a white blanket and filled with her many cuddly toys that also topped the bed and the blanket box. The floors were a soft beech wood, with a white shaggy rug in the middle of the room. A new white desk sat in the corner opposite her armchair, little silver stars painted down the sides of it. Her bookcases were already filled with her books. Photos of her and her Mother, and her with Duffy and Avril littered the walls, but Gabriella's attention was mainly drawn to the open doors, which led to a massive balcony, giving her the best views of the Danforth's garden and the basketball court that belonged to next door, white net curtains with silver stars on them fluttering in the slight breeze.

Placing Pippin down, the small dog immediately ran for the armchair, disappearing into the pile of stuffed animals. Gabriella moved over to her bookshelves, running her hand over them. Her smile grew when she discovered that they were organised just the way she liked them, alphabetical by author, but coming to a gap, she frowned slightly, "There's one missing."

A blushing Taylor came up beside her, "Sorry, I was only reading it while I was waiting for you and Chad, it's the only one of hers that I haven't read yet." She smiled slightly and held the book out to Gabriella, who only shook her head in way of response.

"Nah," She grinned, "Keep it, it's my favourite. G-d alone knows how many times I've read it, and if there's any others that you feel like borrowing, feel free to just take them."

Taylor beamed back at her and swept Gabriella into a hug as Chad shook his head, "Trust a bunch of girls to bond over books," he muttered. The two girls just raised their eyebrows at him, as he grabbed a photo frame from the desk and handed it to Gabriella with a grin, "Look what my Mom found Brie, she thought that you might want them in your room."

Gabriella smiled as she glanced over the four pictured in the frame. The same two toddlers gracing each picture, a young Chad and Gabriella, the pictures of which had been taken in their local park in Arizona, only five days or so before Chad moved away.

The first picture showed the two three year olds on the seesaw, Gabriella screaming at Chad as he just grinned at her and refused to let her down. In the next, Gabriella was laughing at a cross eyed Chad, who was looking at the ice cream that had somehow magically jumped from Gabriella's ice cream cone to the tip of his nose, as the two of them sat side by side on a park bench. The third showed the pair on swings, each laughing hysterically as they frantically tried to out swing the other. Finally, they were sat on the end of a slide, Gabriella in front, with Chad's arms wrapped around her from behind, each of their cheeks rosy from excitement, their hair flying all over the place as they grinned wildly at the camera.

"I kind of remember these," Gabriella smiled as she gently ran her fingers over the happy, carefree little faces in the pictures, before looking back up at Taylor and Chad. "Doesn't it seem like everything was so much simpler then?"

"It sure does, Briella, it sure does," Chad mumbled, before taking hold of Taylor's hand and leading her to the doorway. "Anyway, we'll leave you alone for now Briella, to unpack your suitcase, and rest before dinner." With one more smile from each of them, and a wave from Taylor, they were gone, the door closing behind them, leaving Gabriella still looking around the room, before heading for her last suitcase.

An hour later, Gabriella had satisfactorily finished sorting her things out and had had a shower in her own bathroom. Changing into light grey sweats and a baby pink tank top.

Currently, she was lying on her bed, Pippin jumping up to join her moments later as she pulled her favourite photo album out of her blanket box. She flicked leisurely through the familiar pages of photos, each showing the same sandy haired, blue-eyed boy, who had captured Gabriella's heart back in New York, before he had broken his promises and disappeared without a trace.

Gabriella glanced wistfully at the last picture. The two were sat facing the camera on a sandy beach, the sea sparkling with the setting sun in the background as they both grinned blissfully at the camera. Gabriella was sat in between his legs, her hands resting on his knees, and her head on his chest as his arms were wrapped tenderly around her waist, holding her lovingly to him. Pippin was then lying belly up at Gabriella's feet, evidently trying to catch the last of the disappearing sun.

Closing the photo album, Gabriella lay it down on her nightstand. Rolling onto her side, a few tears escaped from her eyes, Pippin tucking herself up behind her knees, falling into a fitful sleep. Gabriella herself once again ran her fingers over the inscription on the back of the locket, before falling into a distressed sleep of her own.

_Ella,_

_I loved you when I first saw you,_

_And I've loved you everyday since._

_I love you forever and for_

_Always._

_-T_

**Once more, that was chapter 2, thanks to those of you who reviewed the last one and please review this one!**


	3. What If

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys, thanks so much for your reviews from the last chapter! They mean so much to me and really help me to keep writing the story. Also, I have a new oneshot out called Through The Years, please check it out and tell me what you think. Anyway, here's the next chapter, I hope that you like it and I'll post chapter 4 once this chapter gets at least 7 reviews. I hope that you enjoy it.**

**What if I had never let you go  
Would you be the man I used to know  
If I'd stayed  
If you'd tried  
If we could only turn back time  
But I guess we'll never know**

**What If – Kate Winslet**

**Chapter 3 – What If**

A week later, Gabriella and Pippin were settling in nicely with the Danforths'. She got on well with both Jake and Lorraine Danforth, spending time with both of them when they got home from work. Usually she helped Lorraine to make the dinner, and then played video games with Jake and Chad afterwards, which never failed to provide entertainment for Lorraine, given that the three of them were all sore losers.

However, her days were mainly spent getting up to mischief with Chad and Pippin. The two had already made a tight brotherly-sisterly bond, with Pippin managing to worm her way into a previously reluctant Chad's heart. Chad already felt extremely overprotective of Gabriella, and Gabriella was already finding new ways to aggravate her new big brother on a daily basis.

As her days were usually spent with Chad, they were also usually spent with Taylor as well. The two girls had figured out that they had a lot more in common than their love of books. Such as a love of math, science and caramel ice cream with chocolate chips. The two of them had made fast friends, and were finding out more about the other daily, usually using this as ammunition to annoy Chad.

As of yet though, Gabriella had not met any of Chad and Taylor's other friends. Due to their families taking the first four weeks of the schools summer vacation time out of Albuquerque, visiting various other family members around the country. Today though they were all back, and they were all coming around to the Danforth's for a pool party. Although, none of them knew about Gabriella, and she was jittery with nerves about meeting the other six of them. Neither Chad nor Taylor helped her nerves as they had refused to tell her anything about any of them, no matter how much she had begged and bribed the pair. Chad had even refused food, something that Gabriella had already figured out would get her whatever she wanted with him.

Gabriella sat on her bed, watching the light net curtains flutter gently in the breeze that was blowing softly through her open balcony doors, Pippin sitting ready to pounce on the curtains each time they fluttered towards her. Listening to the new voices that had joined Chad and Taylor's' downstairs, and she couldn't help but notice that two of the new voices sounded vaguely familiar.

"How you doing, kid?" Chad asked, leaning against the doorway to Gabriella's room. He chuckled slightly when he watched her jump up and turn around to face him, a big scowl plastered across her face, Pippin racing across the room and bouncing in circles around his ankles until he picked her up.

"Chad do not do that! And I'm only five months younger than you, so you can't really call me kid." Gabriella argued, before smiling weakly, "and to answer your question, I'm nervous as hell."

Chad laughed slightly once more. Striding into Gabriella's room, he kicked the door closed behind him and joined Gabriella on the bed, bouncing up and down slightly to get comfortable, while Gabriella giggled and Pippin yelped at him, clambering onto Gabriella's lap.

"What's got you so nervous Buzzy Bee?" Chad asked, using the serious tone that he very rarely used, as well as Gabriella's nickname that he had given her on only her second day in Albuquerque. The two and Pippin had been walking through the park to meet Taylor, before Gabriella spotted several bees', and ran off screaming in the other direction. Running off, she left Chad rolling on the floor with laughter, literally, and Pippin watching after her, her head tilted to the side with bewilderment until Gabriella had returned twenty minutes later, with a highly amused Taylor.

Gabriella sighed, one hand finding the stuffed Eeyore toy that she could no longer sleep without, the one with a heart on a crimson ribbon hanging from its' mouth, the one that smelled just like _him_. Her other hand wrapped itself into Pippin's soft fur. "I don't know Chad; I mean I'm really scared. I don't exactly make brilliant first impressions if my scars are anything to go by." Gabriella joked, while Chad frowned, his eyes darkening, becoming an almost black colour.

"Don't even joke about that Gabriella," Chad muttered sternly. Now knowing all about Gabriella's past run-ins with the jocks and cheerleaders at North High, her old school in New York, and only wishing that he had been there to protect her, "and besides, you obviously made an amazing first impression on me, Taylor and our parents', otherwise we wouldn't still be talking to you, would we?"

"I guess so," Gabriella whispered, still unsure of herself, while Chad gave her an encouraging smile.

"Well, I love you anyway Briella," he grinned, and Gabriella couldn't help but giggle softly.

"I love you too Chad," She laughed. Chad beamed back at her and leaned over to capture her in a tight hug, trapping a squirming Pippin between them. Neither of the teenagers hearing the gasp or the pattering of feet as the blonde girl ran back down the stairs.

"Taylor! Taylor!" Sharpay screeched, instantly bringing Taylor out of her conversation with Kelsi, the guys' all turning to look at her funnily. "Oh my G-d, Tay, I am so sorry to be the one to have to tell you this!" Sharpay's pity filled brown orbs scanned Taylor's own as the young girl watched her friend in utter confusion.

"Shar, what the hell are you going on about?" Taylor questioned, still watching Sharpay as though she had finally lost her mind completely.

"I am so, so sorry Taylor," Sharpay muttered softly, Taylor's eyebrows furrowing in confusion as everyone else at the table held back sniggers at Sharpay's over dramatisation of everything. "Chad's cheating on you."

Everyone's mouths dropped and they burst into laughter. "That's a good one Shar," Troy sniggered. "There is no way that Chad would ever cheat on Tay. For a start, he spent the entirety of middle school chasing her and attempting to ask her out, and for seconds, he knows for a fine fact that I would beat him into a pulp if he ever hurt her." Troy grinned and threw an arm around Taylor, who in turn sent him a tiny smile.

"Shar, what makes you think that Chad is cheating on me?" Taylor managed to squeak out quietly.

The blonde haired girl sighed and collapsed onto Zeke's knee, the dark haired boy automatically wrapping his arms around her middle and pressing a soft kiss to her shoulder as Sharpay began to recite her tale. "Well, I went upstairs to use the bathroom and check my make-up, and everything," Everyone rolled their eyes, with Troy and Jason Ryan allowing their heads to flop to the table. "And I heard Chad saying that he loved this bitch that's up there and then she said it back. I mean I don't know what that idiot was thinking, hiding another girl up there while we're all down here? And why are you smiling?" Sharpay trailed off glaring and pointing at Taylor, who couldn't help but to burst into laughter.

Taylor just grinned at the faces sat around the table. "Shar, that isn't Chad's mistress, it's his new sister."

The gang's mouth dropped open and they all turned to Taylor in shock. "Err Tay, correct me if I'm wrong, but A, Mrs Danforth wasn't pregnant when we left and B newborns can't talk," Ryan thought out loud.

Taylor shook her head, still grinning at them. "Briella is Chad's new adoptive sister. Her Dad died when she was young and her Mom died in a car accident at the beginning of the summer, and with both her parents being only children, and her grandparents being gone since long before she was born, Briella was left with no family. So she was sent here to Albuquerque to live with Chad and his parents, who are her parents' old best friends and her own godparents'. She's really sweet guys', but really shy as well which is why he's up there, trying to coax her into coming down and meeting all of you."

"I get it now!" Jason grinned, and everyone glanced at him, rolling their eyes once more, "Can we play ball now?"

"Jason you read my mind!" Troy smirked, grabbing the ball from the raven haired boy and making his way to the basketball court. The other two star basketball players and Ryan glanced at each other briefly before Zeke and Jason promptly said goodbye to their girlfriends and the three of them fled down the garden after their captain.

"Well, that got rid of them," Sharpay beamed, "So what's this Briella chick like then?" She questioned, falling into the sun lounger on Taylor's right hand side and pulling her sunglasses over her eyes.

"Why don't you find out for yourself?" A voice asked from behind them, and the three girls' turned to see a beaming Chad pulling the blushing Gabriella outside with him. "Sharpay, Kelsi, this is my new sister Gabriella Montez, Briella, this is Sharpay Evans and Kelsi Nielson."

Gabriella smiled at Sharpay and muttered a small hi, the blonde haired girl studying her closely. When Gabriella turned her attention to the brunette haired composer, however, both young girls' felt the breath knocked out of them and both gulped at exactly the same moment, finally managing to squeak out a hello, before rapidly tearing their eyes away.

Sharpay grinned and stood up, walking around and pulling a stunned Gabriella into a hug, "It's really nice to meet you, do you like Albuquerque so far then?"

Gabriella smiled softly, feeling Chad slip away from behind her and run down the garden to join the guys'. "Yeah, I really do like it, it's nice to be somewhere so open after living in the heart of cities for most of my life, the suburbs are definitely a shock to the system," She laughed softly, causing Sharpay to grin as she scooted back onto the sun lounger.

Gabriella herself took the seat next to Kelsi at the table, relaxing under the shade of the sun shade. Once more her eyes caught on the ice blue of Kelsi's, and both girls attempted and failed to ignore the flicker of recognition that occurred every time that they looked at each other.

"So where've you just moved from then?" Sharpay questioned and Gabriella tore her eyes away from the familiarity of Kelsi's once more.

"Shar, leave the girl alone, this isn't fifty questions!" Taylor scolded, lifting her own glasses to glare at the pouting Sharpay.

Giggling, Gabriella glanced between the two girls. "Tay, I don't mind, honestly." Turning to Sharpay, she grinned once more, "I just moved here from New York."

Squealing, Sharpay beamed at her, Taylor and Kelsi covering their ears with their hands. "Oh my G-d as in New York, New York, where Broadway is?"

"Sharpay!" Chad hollered, leading all on the sweaty boys' back up the sloping garden once more. "Leave Briella alone, you're going to be scaring the poor girl," He beamed once more, slinging an arm around Gabriella's shoulders, the dark haired girl wrinkling her nose.

"Oh eww, Chad you're all sweaty!" She yelled pulling away from him as Pippin bounded out of the house, hopping up next to Taylor. Taylor and Sharpay immediately started cooing over the small dog, while Kelsi's eyes doubled in size once more recognising parts of Gabriella's life.

"Oh, I'm all sweaty am I?" Chad grinned, starting to rub his sweaty face all over her own.

"Chad that's so gross!" She shrieked, running away from him as everyone else started to laugh, watching as Chad chased after the screaming teenager. Pippin started jumping up and down, barking in excitement as she watched her owner from Taylor's sun lounger.

Suddenly, Gabriella felt herself collide with a wall of solid muscle. Before she could fall however, a hand reached out and steadied her, bring her back into an upright position once more. Glancing up to thank her saviour, the smile instantly dropped from Gabriella's face.

Mystification instantaneously swept through the gang as they watched the blue eyed boy and the brown eyed girl suddenly become locked in a stare down, mixed emotions flittering across both of their faces love and adoration, hurt and confusion. The brunette composer however couldn't help but gnaw on her bottom lip as she watched her cousin and the girl that should have been an old friend found once more locked in what she knew could become a deadly battle.

"Hi Little Sparrow," Troy eventually whispered, reaching up to brush a lock of Gabriella's hair out of her eyes. Angrily she slapped his hand away, before slapping his face hard, the tears starting to stream from her eyes. She turned and fled towards the house her sobs echoing throughout the garden. The gang watched on in shock as Troy raised a hand to his cheek, in a futile attempt to soothe his stinging face…

**Well, that was chapter 3, I hope that you liked it, please review! Once I get at least 7 reviews, I will post chapter 4.**


	4. Do You Remember

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys, thanks so much for all of your reviews on the last chapter! They mean so much to me and are such a good motivator. Anyway, here's Chapter 4, I hope that you enjoy it and please review! As soon as I get 8 reviews I will upload chapter 5. Enjoy!**

**I've been thinking about you**

**And how we used to be...**

**Do you remember, Do you remember, Do you remember**

**All of the times we had**

**Do You Remember - Jay Sean**

**Chapter 4 – Do You Remember**

"What the hell is going on?" Chad questioned, his wide eyes swivelling from the direction of where Gabriella had run off to back to his best friend. "Troy, do you know Briella?" Still watching the blue eyed boy clutching his startlingly red cheek, Chad became more and more frustrated with his lack of answer. "Troy!"

Tearing his eyes away from where the brunette headed girl had been standing only moments earlier, Troy blinked repeatedly, attempting to remove the flood of tears currently clouding his vision. Eventually, he cleared his throat and stared back up at his dark eyed friend, "Now is not the time or place Chad. Ella needs you now, please go to her, she'll need someone to comfort her." Casting one last glance around at his stunned group of gathered friends, Troy shook his head slowly and sent a quick look to the open balcony doors to his above right, before turning on his heel and heading for the low fence that separated the Danforth's from their next door neighbours.

Watching Troy hop over the fence and enter the house next door, Chad shook his head in disbelief and ran one hand through his frazzled mess of hair. "Kels, you lived in New York with Troy and your Aunt and Uncle while your parents were off somewhere 'finding themselves' or whatever, what's going on?" Taylor questioned in frustration, her hands leaving Pippin's fur as the small dog suddenly jumped up to run after Gabriella.

Shaking her head, Kelsi sighed and shook her head, "I'm sorry guys, but Troy's right. Whatever is going on is between the pair of them and it will be up to them when the time is right to tell you what's going on, when they want to. Troy's right though, Chad, Elro is going to need you now."

"Elro?" Chad asked, confusion filling his features.

Kelsi simply sent him a wicked grin and laughed softly, "Yeah, Gabriella Rosemary Montez, Elro. I did know her for six months before my parents got back from Europe and I came home to Albuquerque with them Chad." Sending the confused teenagers another small smile, Kelsi turned and headed after her cousin, entering the cream house next door through the same sliding door that Troy had moments earlier.

"I better go check on Briella," Chad muttered softly, his eyes flickering up to the open balcony doors as the others all nodded and got to their feet, motioning that they should go. Taylor smiled sadly at Chad, pressing a kiss to his cheek and sending him a call me signal before following the others out of the side gate.

Chad sighed, thinking about the good day that had been potentially ruined, turning on his heel and re-entering his house. Closing the door swiftly behind him, he kicked off his shoes and took the stairs from the kitchen two at a time, eager to find out what was going on.

Sighing as she shut the door behind herself, Kelsi watched as the gang got up to leave next door. Turning around, the blue eyed girl grinned as she smelled her Aunt Lucille's freshly baked cookies. Spying them on the counter in front of her, she reached forward and grabbed one, instantly biting into the warm chocolaty goodness.

"Kelsi Alyssa Nielson!" A voice yelled behind her and jumping, the teenager smiled sweetly when she saw her mother's sister stood behind her.

"Hi Aunt Lucille," Kelsi beamed innocently at the brunette woman who simply shook her head chuckling. Flashing one more childlike grin at her Aunt, the blue eyed girl tucked happily back into her fresh cookie.

Placing her shopping bags on the counter that Kelsi was now sat at, the middle aged woman studied her niece closely. "Do me a favour please and wrap those cookies up so that you can take them home Kels? Because G-d alone knows that your Mother can't cook."

Laughing, Kelsi hunted out the cling film and started to wrap the cookies up carefully, "Believe me Aunt Luc, I know that Mom can't cook, unfortunately you stole all of the cooking genes and she was left with all of the artistic ones, which thankfully I inherited." Giggling as she finished wrapping up the cookies, Kelsi hopped up onto the counter once more.

Her eyes twinkling, Lucille finished emptying her shopping bags and turned back to Kelsi, "Yes well, I was always the better twin," She laughed, her laughter instantly harmonising with Kelsi's giggles. "What are you doing here anyway Kels?"

"Erm, well you see," Kelsi gulped and started clasping and unclasping her hands. "It turns out that Chad has a new adoptive sister, her mom died earlier this summer," She whispered softly, Lucille leaning against the counter in order to hear her.

"Right, that poor girl, but what does that have to do wi-" Lucille was abruptly cut off by Kelsi.

"It's Gabriella," The young girl breathed out, her eyes snapping closed. Lucille standing instantly up right, a hand placed over her mouth in shock. "It was Maria in that car accident Aunt Lucille. Gabriella was left all alone to deal with it, G-d, we should have been there for her, we should have, she was my best friend, and I didn't even bother to keep in touch, she needed me Aunt Luc." Kelsi started to sob softly, feeling Lucille's arms wrap tightly around her. "Troy saw her, it wasn't exactly a good run in. I thought that I'd better come over and see if he was alright, but I wanted to give him some time to process it first."

"It's ok Kelsi, it'll all be ok," Lucille whispered soothingly, running a hand through her niece's hair tenderly. "We should have been there for her, you're right, but you can't change the past. Now you, my favourite niece in the entire world need to go and make sure that Troy is not about to destroy his room, because he will never talk to me about what's going on. You, on the other hand, know more about him than only one other person in the universe." Seeing Kelsi's perplexed stare, Lucille smiled sadly once more, "Sorry to say it Kelsi, but Gabriella knows more about that boy than you or I, or Jack, will ever know I believe. Now, hop to it, favourite niece." Lucille winked at the laughing girl, turning around to flick through the cook book sat on the bench beside her.

"Aunt Luc, I'm your only niece," Kelsi giggled, hopping off of the bench and heading for the stairs up to Troy's room.

"You really screwed it up you know," Kelsi muttered, leaning on the door frame to Troy's room, her eyes scanning his figure as he lay on his bed just in front of her.

"I know Kelsi, I know," Troy whispered wearily running his hands over his saddened face and red eyes. Kelsi smiled softly at her cousin, knowing just how in love he had really been with Gabriella, and how much he couldn't face breaking her heart when he found out that he was leaving. "I should have talked to her, tried to tell her, anything would have been better than what I did. I shouldn't have just left; hell knows what those bastards at Lincoln High did to her after I left Kelsi. She'll never forgive me Kelsi, not after what I did, I promised that I wouldn't leave her and I did, even worse, I left without telling her." Sitting up, Troy buried his face in his hands. Sighing, Kelsi pushed off of the wall and bounced down the couple of steps into Troy's room, sitting beside her and wrapping an arm around her cousin's shoulders. Gently rubbing a comforting hand up and down Troy's back, Kelsi shuddered watching the usually calm basketball captain crumple in front of her.

Entering Gabriella's room, Chad winced as he watched the young girl on the bed shake violently as tears flooded down her cheeks like mini waterfalls. "Oh Briella," Chad whispered softly, rushing into the room and climbing onto the bed beside her. As he pulled her into a tight hug, her sobs only grew considerably louder. Chad glanced down into her crimson eyes as he quietly held her, trying to comfort her in any way he could. "You know him don't you?" He questioned softly, when she had eventually calmed down slightly.

Nodding, Gabriella snivelled slightly and headed for the blanket box at the bottom of the bed. Flinging off all of the cuddly toys, she reached in and grabbed a photo album out, using the other arm the lift Pippin onto the bed. Handing the album to Chad, she sat next to him and watched his expression change as he flicked through, each picture containing Troy and Gabriella, often including Kelsi, Avril or Duffy.

"He's the one that left you, the one that you said broke all of his promises," Chad summed up, closing the album and glancing to Gabriella once more.

Nodding Gabriella gently wiped the remaining tears from her eyes. "Yeah, and I loved him, with all of my heart, I just never thought that I'd see him again, ever. Honestly, I think that I hoped that I never would," She smiled softly, running a finger over Troy's face in one of the pictures that she knew Avril had taken. The pair of them were in a swimming pool, Gabriella earning a piggy back off of Troy, with one of her hands rested on the back of his head, both of them smiling as her elbow rested on his shoulder and his hands clasped her tightly beneath the surface of the pool.

"What happened between you?" Chad queried, the love in Gabriella's eyes and the longing in her voice not going unnoticed by him.

Sighing slightly, Gabriella glanced at him, "How long have you got and how much do you already know?"

"For you Briella, I have all night," Chad beamed, stretching out on the bed and patting Pippin who was now curled into a ball between them, her fur sticking out at all angles. "And as for how much I know, not much," He shook his head, still studying her now slightly red eyes. "All that I really know is that Coach B was offered an assistant coaching position with the New York University Violets basketball team, and it was too good of an opportunity to pass up. So they packed up the entire family, including Kelsi who was living with them at the time, and moved to New York for as long as the proper assistant coach was on sabbatical or something like that. The only difference being that Kelsi returned after only six months because her parents had finished their round the world trip."

"Yeah, that's just about right," Gabriella smiled weakly at Chad. "Troy and Kelsi arrived at Lincoln High about three weeks or so after I did, Troy was instantly made into the golden boy, purely because without him, our basketball team sucked, big time," She giggled softly. "Kelsi was instantly popular as well, purely because Troy wouldn't go anywhere without her, or at least not without making sure that she was ok first."

"Sounds like Troy," Chad nodded, smiling softly, "He's always been super over protective of Kelsi, ever since Pre-K."

Gabriella nodded, a small smile filtering onto her features, "Yeah, I always did love their relationship, it was so genuine, and you could always tell just how close they were. But anyway, Lincoln was run by cliques, me, I obviously fell into the loser pack, straight from the off, although in all fairness, the majority of them also classed me as a bigger loser than what they were. I was bullied, given triple the amount of homework from the sports teams, and then Troy joined the school," Gabriella blushed softly as Chad tilted his head and watched her with a slight uncertainty. "Everything changed. Everything."

**19 months earlier...**

**"Gabriella, are you sure that you're going to be alright?" The red headed girl asked, worry etched into her tone. "I mean, Avril and I can walk you to your next class to stop those lunkhead jock idiots from getting anywhere near you if you want."**

**Slowly, the brunette shook her head, even in the three weeks that Gabriella had been at Lincoln High, she knew that there was a standing order – jocks, drama freaks, skaters, hippies, emos, nerds – she also knew that Duffy and Avril fit right in snugly with the second band, the drama freaks, whereas Gabriella herself was classed as below the nerds group, allowing her to be picked on by all members of any clique within the school. "No, its ok, I don't want to make you guys' late for your next lesson. I have a free anyway, so I'm going to try to get to the library, hell knows they won't know where that is."**

**Laughing, the pair of girls stood with the brunette nodded, smiling slightly at their new friend. "OK Brie, if you're sure," Avril muttered quietly, although the pale blonde still looked nervous about leaving Gabriella, knowing that even with herself and Duffy, Gabriella was severely prone to attacks by other members of the school.**

**"I'll be fine guys, promise," Gabriella smiled crookedly, attempting, and failing, to look confident, but knowing that Avril practically had OCD when it came to being on time for anything, whether it be her lessons, or simply meeting Duffy and Gabriella in Starbucks for coffee and a quick bite to eat.**

**The warning bell sounded and both girls gave Gabriella one final hug of reassurance, before departing rapidly for their Spanish lesson. Sighing, Gabriella turned back to her locker and began to load her bag with work that she could get done over her free period, before meeting the girls once more to go off campus for lunch. Feeling that her bag was finally full, the young girl turned around, and froze in terror and the smirking gang of teenagers waiting for her at the top of the hallway.**

**Gulping, Gabriella turned to flee in the other direction. Her fear only increased tenfold when she saw that the basketball team, the football team and the cheerleaders had her surrounded on all sides.**

**"Well, well, well, look what we have here," The captain of the football team, Russell Kingsley smirked as he sauntered up to Gabriella, grasping her chin in his hand and yanking her forwards. "Guess that this one little bitch decided that she would defy our orders and actually turn up to school today. That was a really bad move Geekella, unless of course, you've finished all of the assignments that we gave you yesterday and the day before." Releasing her chin, he allowed two others of his cronies to shove her roughly against the lockers while the other students gathered laughed, all at least, with the exception of one blue eyed boy, who was watching them with horror filled eyes.**

**"Eww, Russ, did you just touch it? Hell knows what diseases you'll catch!" The head cheerleader Mindy Carmichael screeched in her high pitched voice, causing everyone to wince. "Oh, and Gabsmella, when he said that you had better have done our assignments, he means all of them, not just the football teams, we're here on behalf of the athletic team, the baseball team, the dance team and others as well, so you had better be ready to dish them all out. Got that?" Mindy finished venomously, her face pressed right up against Gabriella's as the brunette whimpered and pulled back.**

**"Erm, well you se em, I only got some of them done, but my m-m-mom, sh-she made m-me stop and g-g-go to sl-sleep when it g-g-got to three this m-morning, and sh-she wouldn't l-l-let me stay off to f-finish them," Gabriella whispered, causing all of them gathered to smirk some more.**

**"Oh Geekella, have you not learnt the punishment for disobeying us yet?" One of the basketball players sneered, causing the rest of the gathering to laugh some more.**

**"Pl-please don't," Gabriella begged, tears already slipping out from under her closed eyelids, the teenagers howling with further laughter as they did so. Suddenly, the two boys holding her dropped her, and Gabriella felt a reign of solid blows to any available part of her as she curled into a foetal protection, urging her body to give herself the strength to pull through just one more day of this. To the young girl though, the physical and mental torture were slowly becoming too much, even after only three weeks.**

**Cracking open one eye, Gabriella felt a shiver pass through her body as it connected with a pair of ice blue eyes stood off to the sidelines, ice blue eyes that looked a mixture of furious, ashamed and sickened all in one. "Come on Captain, join in!" One of the basketball players' yelled, instantly allowing Gabriela to recognise the boy as Troy Bolton. He was the almost prophesised one who was supposed to lift their school basketball team from their three year string of crushing defeat after crushing defeat.**

**Surging forwards, Troy pushed his way between the group of athletes and Gabriella. "What the hell do you lot think that you're doing?" He seethed; anger flowing through his veins as he clenched his fists, ready to fight to defend the beautiful girl crouched behind him if he had to. "You're acting like a bunch of animals, and to be honest it's disgusting, as long as I'm here, and you want me to help your shithole of a basketball team get any better, you won't lay a finger on her, or anyone else, got it?" Troy's icy cobalt eyes flickered around the stunned group of teenagers who had never once been taken down from their pedestal before this. "I said have you got that?" Troy roared, causing all of them to swiftly nod and sprint off in different directions.**

**Crouching down to the whimpering girl behind him, Troy rested a gentle hand on her shoulder, causing her to instantly start shaking, "Hey, it's ok," He whispered soothingly, settling back against the lockers and drawing her onto his knee. "I won't hurt you, I swear, and as I promise that they will never hurt you again Gabriella, not unless they want to feel my wrath."**

"Troy took me back to his place that night, where of course I met Kels as well," Gabriella smiled softly, recalling some happy memories between the three of them at that house. "Duffy and Avril were really wary of him at first, of course, but Kelsi fit right in," She grinned at Chad, who nodded slightly, still in disbelief from Gabriella's previous tale. "After about three weeks, we started dating, no one dared to lay a hand on me, especially after Russell Kingsley's hand somehow mysteriously wound up broken after that first encounter in front of Troy. I don't believe that it was him who broke his hand, but Troy certainly revelled in the attention it brought him, and the fact that it kept me and the other three safe out of harm's way at least," Gabriella smiled softly, one hand instinctively clasping at the locket dancing around her neck, Chad chuckling as he imagined his best friend in that situation. "Kels, of course, left after six months, but she kept in touch, and she visited with her parents quite frequently. The basketball team actually did start winning everything they played for, and Troy and I went from strength to strength, the two of us, Duffy, Avril and Kelsi were like a little family really," Gabriella smiled fondly, admiring a picture of the four of them after one of the basketball games, a beaming Troy still in his uniform as he clutched a laughing Gabriella and Duffy to one side and a squirming Kelsi and Avril tightly to the other side. "We reached our one year anniversary, and he gave me the most amazing night ever, I gave him everything that night," She sighed softly, and Chad couldn't help but feel a surge of anger rush through him. "And two weeks later, he was gone. No message, no warning, no nothing," Gabriella sighed softly, running her fingers through a snoozing Pippin's fur, smiling softly when the small dog started running in her sleep. "Of course they all blamed me for him leaving. His sudden departure really left me in a hole; the entire school took it out on me. They blamed me for getting rid of their Golden Boy, therefore allowing the basketball team to start losing miserably again." Chuckling harshly, Gabriella's anger filled eyes lifted to meet Chad's startled one, "I became the punching bag for the entire school without him there to protect me anymore. Avril and Duffy tried to stop it, but when the whole school's out to get one person they're after blood, and I knew that they wouldn't stop until they got mine." Sighing sadly once more, Gabriella calmly glanced at the photo album containing so many memories of their relationship once more, almost forgetting Chad's presence in the room. "I still loved him though, he broke every promise that he ever made to me, yet, I knew that I wouldn't ever be complete again until I had him back."

**Well guys that was Chapter 4, I hope that you enjoyed it and please review! As soon as I get 8 reviews I will upload the next chapter, also, thanks so much for all of your reviews on Chapter 3 once more!**


	5. All Out Of Love

**Then and Now**

**Thank you all so much for all of your reviews from the last chapter, they really do mean a lot to me and I hope that you all continue to review. Anyway, here's Chapter 5, I hope that you all enjoy it and please review! Chapter 6 should be up within the next few days.**

**I 'm all out of love, I'm so lost without you**  
**I know you were right believing for so long**  
**I 'm all out of love, what am I without you**  
**I can't be too late to say that I was so wrong**

**All Out Of Love – Air Supply**

**Chapter five – All Out Of love**

Hours after Kelsi had left; Troy was still lying in the same position on his bed, staring at the ceiling while he contemplated the past. Below him, he could hear his Mom clattering around in the kitchen, humming tunelessly to herself, and his Dad watching an old Lakers game, shouting at the TV while he did so.

They had been so in love. He was still irrevocably in love with her, although he felt in his heart that she probably hated him by this stage. Troy knew that he had been selfish, he thoroughly deserved her hatred. Through his own selfish interests in hating to see her cry, much less for him to be the cause of those tears, he had never told her that he was leaving. He promised himself that he would phone her the following day, but like the chicken that he was, he chickened out, hanging up the phone before it had even managed to connect. Truthfully, he knew that the fear which he had had over making her cry and manifested itself into a fear of the life which he had now left her to live in New York, and a fear of how much she must have hated him already. So one day turned into two days and that rapidly spread into a week, then a month and before Troy knew it, six months had gone by since he had last heard her musical laughter, or been in her radiant presence. He missed her. He missed her with everything that he had, and he knew that honestly, Gabriella moving in next door, into his best friend's house, was going to be a blessing and a curse for them both. Troy knew that the coming months were going to make them or break them, both as individuals, and as a pair, depending on how their relationship or apparent current enemy status developed.

Hearing footsteps on the stairs, the blue eyed boy instinctively groaned and rolled over so that his face was buried in his pillows. Slowing his breathing, Troy closed his eyes tightly, praying that whoever had decided to come and bug him would leave him alone and go back downstairs, assuming he was asleep.

"Troy David Alexander Bolton, do you really think that you can pull the fake sleep thing on me?" No chance of that one then Troy sighed as he rolled onto his front once more, glaring at his Mother. "I have been your Mother for seventeen years young man, so don't even think of trying it, now come on, dinner's ready."

"I'm not hungry," He mumbled, folding his arms across his chest in self pity, "Just leave me alone Mom."

Rolling her eyes, Lucille stepped into her son's room, closing the door behind her. "Troy, get up, you can't wallow in self pity forever, Kelsi told me what happened. I'm sorry about what happened between you and Gabriella, but you both need to get over it and carry on with your life."

Sitting bolt upright, Troy's eyes darkened in fury, his glare increasing. "Yeah, well if it wasn't for you and Dad, I wouldn't be in this mess now would I?" Troy screamed his breathing erratic and his heart pounding as he glared at the older woman.

"Troy, your Dad and I simply did what we felt was best for you, given the circumstances!" Lucille exclaimed, raising her hands in annoyance as her glare slowly started to match Troy's.

"Yeah well it wasn't what was best was it!" Troy yelled, standing up and pacing his room, his eyes never once leaving Lucille's. "You both ruined my life Mom! Everything was perfect and then I come home from school one day to find you packing up the house and you telling me that we're moving back to Albuquerque the following day. Damn it, I needed more time Mom!"

"Troy, if we had given you more time, you would have simply worried and put off telling the girls anyway," Lucille sighed hotly, folding her arms across her chest. "Don't you ever dare say that we ruined your life Troy David Alexander Bolton. We gave you life and we have done everything in our power to make sure that you have had everything that you have ever wanted or needed."

"Yeah, well the one thing that I really wanted, and quite blatantly needed, you took away from me!" Troy roared, whirling around to face Lucille, the fury burning deeply in his eyes. "If you had given me more time to talk to her I could have still been there for her Mom. It wouldn't have been in the way that I would've liked, and a long distance relationship would've been ridiculously hard for us, but we could have made it work if you had given me more than two hours to sort something out! If I had actually had just one more day at school before we left I would've had time to talk to some of my friends that actually had influence there. Paul and Seth might have actually been able to protect her from the hell that I'm guessing she went through after I left, had I only managed to explain it to them and actually ask them."

"Troy," Lucille whispered softly, the anger leaving her eyes as she saw the torment lying behind Troy's own eyes. "If Paul and Seth had been real friends then they would have protected her anyway when you left because they would have seen how much you truly cared about her."

"You don't get it Mom," Troy yelled exasperated, "Lincoln High was run by cliques, Paul and Seth were loyal to me while I was there, but I know that they wouldn't have wanted to lose their places in that stupid hierarchy system unless they knew that the so called order had come directly from me! If I had had more time, I would've been able to make sure that I kept in touch with the pair of them as well, therefore finding out what was happening to Ella, even if she wouldn't tell me herself. You ruined any chance that I had at keeping the girl that I loved and four very good friends in Paul, Seth, Duffy and Avril. You ruined my life. Get out of my room." Troy collapsed back onto his bed, burying his head into his hands.

"Troy I-" Lucille started, concern flashing through her eyes as she hated seeing her son so upset, but he cut her off before she could get almost anything out.

"Get out!" Troy roared, standing upright once more as he glared at his mother, his face turning red as his eyes burned with fury. Watching Lucille slam out of his room, Troy groaned and stormed open to his own balcony doors, throwing them open and stepping out onto his balcony in an attempt to cool down the rage that was flooding his system.

Leaning on the railings of his balcony, Troy sighed softly and raised his face to the light breeze that was sweeping through the air. Smiling softly, the teenage boy let a small smile flicker onto his face as he turned his face with the breeze, finding himself staring into the wide chocolate eyes on the balcony to the left of him.

The pair held their gaze for near enough five minutes before Gabriella eventually tore her eyes away from the burning cobalt ones. Troy continued to watch her carefully, glancing back up to her face just in time to watch the simple question of why form on the pretty brunette's lips, before she glared at him once more and stormed back into her house, slamming her balcony door with a vengeance.

Troy winced as he heard the glass in the balcony door rattle and sighed as he turned his attention back to the cherry blossom tree sat at the bottom of his garden. Smiling, he watched the blossom fall from the tree, dancing in the light breeze. Instinctively, he reached out to grab a piece of the pink blossom that was floating in front of his face, unaware of the tear filled coffee coloured eyes watching him from the doors of the next house over. Both of the teenagers couldn't help but smile as they remembered happier times back in New York.

**7 months previous...**

**Troy laughed as he watched his angel dance among the cherry blossom that fell in waves from the tree, her entire face lit up like it was Christmas morning. Lifting his camera to his face, the amateur photographer in the making snapped several dozen pictures of the girl in a sequence shot, grinning as he went back through them to get rid of the not so good ones.**

**Running back towards Troy, Gabriella collapsed back onto their blanket and grabbed one of Troy's speciality peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, smiling happily and crashing basically on top of him as he chuckled and pulled her as close as humanely possible. Both of them let their eyes wander around the beauty of the Brooklyn Botanic Garden, enjoying the still quiet of the air all around them, listening closely to each other's steady breathing and the beating of their hearts.**

**Beaming at Gabriella, Troy shifted them round so that she was lying on her back. Grinning wickedly at her, he started to slowly kiss down her neck, watching as her toffee coloured eyes widened in shock, before fluttering closed in pleasure, a small smile curling up onto her face as she tangled one hand into his hair. Eventually reaching her collar bone, Troy smiled softly against it, placing his head on her shoulder, his arm draping itself lazily around her middle.**

"**Troy?" She asked in her angelic voice, giggling as she lifted Troy's chin from her shoulder so that her loving chocolate brown eyes could meet his shining cobalt ones.**

"**Mmm?" He questioned straight back, pressing a kiss to her nose, quickly eliciting another set of those giggles that drove Troy so mad, a grin forming on his face.**

"**Why do you call me Sparrow? In nine and a half months, I've still never figured that one out," Gabriella furrowed her brow, her brain still attempting to work out her boyfriends nickname for her as his hold tightened across her stomach, pulling her backwards and more tightly into his toned chest once more.**

**Chuckling, Troy sat up and pulled her between his legs. Gently, he brushed her long curls out of the way and rested his head on her shoulder. "Ella, I call you Sparrow because you have such big ambitions, baby." Gabriella swivelled her head to the side in confusion, desperate to see the look in his eyes. Chuckling softly, Troy placed a chaste kiss to her ruby red lips before continuing. "You want to get out of here some day, Sparrow, you are so determined to fly off away from here to Stanford, and in my book to become world class one day, which I already think that you are I'll have you know." Laughing, he placed another deeper, less innocent kiss to her awaiting lips, "Because one day, you will fly away from here, and all of your dreams will come true, because one day, you'll fly away from me."**

"**That will never happen," Gabriella whispered, drawing his face closer and placing an even deeper kiss to his lips, "Because if I fly away from you, there is no chance of all of my dreams ever coming true. I need you Wildcat, I love you."**

"**I love you too," He murmured, pushing her over as she yelped and pinning her to the blanket with a laugh. His grin grew as he took in her happy appearance, her eyes twinkling mischievously and her hair splayed out in every direction around her head like a simple halo. Leaning down he captured her lips with his and deepened any of the kisses that they had shared that day.**

**A small bark interrupted them, and both teenagers stared straight into each other's eyes, their lips still locked. Feeling Gabriella start to shake with laughter beneath him, Troy rolled off of her with a groan, pulling her with him so that she was now straddling his waist. "I thought that I begged you not to bring Vicious," He complained, placing his hands onto her hips as she sat up, leaning over to lift Pippin out of her carrying bag.**

"**Wildcat, I could hardly leave her home alone," Gabriella smiled, holding the fluffy dog close to her and nuzzling her head softly, laughing as Pippin yipped quietly at her. "And stop calling her Vicious!" Placing Pippin down on Troy's chest, Gabriella couldn't help but laugh at the disgusted look on the blue eyed boy's face. Pippin also now spying Troy, the small dog started to instantly growl at him, teeth bared. As if having his point proved straight in front of his face, Troy glanced up at Gabriella, eyes wide.**

**Pippin evidently had suddenly found something else more interesting as she unexpectedly leapt from Troy's chest, tearing across the grounds. Gabriella's wide eyes followed the dog before she jumped up from Troy and started to chase the small dog around the grounds, leaving a hysterical Troy alone on the blanket, watching Gabriella race around after Pippin like a maniac.**

"**Troy Bolton come and help me if you ever want to get lucky with anything ever again!" Gabriella shrieked causing Troy's eyes to triple in size as he leapt up from the blanket to join in the wild dog chase.**

Sighing sadly once more, Troy couldn't help but shoot one final glance towards the house next door, smiling wryly when he saw the net curtains flutter quickly closed as Gabriella pulled herself swiftly away from the glass door, leaving only the unmistakable swishing of her long curls as she did so. Collapsing onto the sun lounger that had always been left on his balcony, Troy couldn't help but remember the last few hours that he had had to hold her. The time when he believed that he would never be lucky enough to hold her again, although, he hadn't known until after he had returned home from dropping her off after school that he would be moving away from her the following day.

**4 months ago...**

**Troy approached his family's apartment with severe wariness as he watched three muscled men carry their sofa down the corridor with wide eyes. "Mom, what's going on?" Troy questioned as he pulled his phone out to text Gabriella, making sure that she was ok, even though he had only dropped her off at home twenty minutes ago.**

"**Hey son," Jack Bolton grinned, walking into the room and throwing an arm around troy's shoulders. "Your Mom's had to run out to the store, it seems that we've accumulated a lot more stuff since we moved here and we needed more boxes and bubble wrap."**

"**Alright, but that still doesn't explain why we need the boxes and bubble wrap," Troy slid his phone back into his pocket and glanced up at Jack with his questioning sapphire eyes.**

"**Well Troy, the assistant coach for the Violets is back from sabbatical, so we're moving back home!" His Dad cried out gleefully, but all Troy felt was the colour draining from his face as a numb sensation filled his heart, barely feeling his phone vibrating with a message from his girlfriend.**

"**When?" He managed to croak out, his whole body shaking.**

**Jack sighed slightly, scratching the back of his neck nervously. "Tomorrow Troy boy. We were going to tell you sooner, but we didn't want you to have to worry about saying goodbye to all of your friends and to Gabriella. On the plus side though, you'll be back in Albuquerque with Chad and the others the day after tomorrow, how good is that?" Searching his son's eyes, Jack couldn't help but shiver as he watched the sparkle drain from them, the blue becoming lifeless.**

"**Yeah Dad, that's great," Troy weakly smiled, turning on his heel. "Erm, I'm going out with Gabriella tonight, but I'll see you later on."**

"**But, I thought that you just dropped her off?" Jack questioned in confusion, watching as Troy came to a standstill but refused to turn around.**

"**Yeah, but I just need to see her, we were going to go out later, but her Mom's not in so I'm sure that she and pippin would like the company," Clenching his hand tightly, Troy grabbed his zip up hoodie from the peg by the front door and headed straight through it. Once he was clear of the door, Troy sprinted down the corridor and the stairs, apologising to people as he bumped into them, before collapsing into his car. He clutched the steering wheel tightly with both hands, snapping his eyes shut in order to prevent his tears from falling. Opening his eyes once more, Troy watched his Mother's car pull into the underground car park and his eyes darkened with fury. Turning the engine on, Troy roared out of the car park at top speeds, blatantly ignoring the worried look Lucille sent his way.**

**As he wandered around the park with Gabriella a few hours later, Troy kept sending glances her way, in an attempt to memorise her magnificent beauty. Gabriella herself was clutching tightly to Troy's arm, watching Pippin closely as the little dog bounded happily ahead of the teenage couple, all the while enjoying the silence with no idea of what was to come.**

"**Troy, stop looking at me," She giggled, her big brown eyes swivelling onto his, her smile so radiant that he couldn't help but smile back at her. Standing still, Troy gently reached up and tenderly brushed a loose strand of her hair out of her eyes, smiling softly at the way her eyes flickered lightly closed.**

"**Gabriella, I-" Troy was swiftly cut off by the barking off a dog. Groaning, he watched Gabriella run over to Pippin and lift her out of the way of the bigger dog and its' roller blading owner. Maybe not being able to tell her was for the best after all, he didn't want her final memories of her to include her crying at the expense of his actions.**

"**What were you going to say Troy?" Gabriella questioned carefully, Pippin tucked carefully under one of her arms.**

"**It doesn't matter," Wrapping one arm carefully around her, he leant the other hand down to slowly pat Pippin, yanking his arm out of the way just before the little dogs jaws managed to clamp around his hand. "Vicious," he muttered, using his nickname for the little dog and making his feelings towards her perfectly clear as Gabriella giggled to his side.**

**Linking arms with him once more, Gabriella grinned softly, "Well maybe if you were a little nicer to her she wouldn't act like that, it's only because she doesn't like sharing me."**

"**Yeah well I don't like sharing you," Troy murmured into her ear, grinning as she shuddered and shrieked when he nipped lightly at her ear.**

**Later that night, Troy was walking Gabriella and pippin back to their apartment, trying to keep his mind preoccupied with the girl dancing along beside him, rather than the secret that he had decided not to tell her. Smiling sadly, Troy watched as Gabriella opened her apartment door and placed the little dog inside, closing it once more once Pippin had run off.**

"**So Mr Bolton," Gabriella giggled, wrapping her arms tightly around his neck and standing up on her tip toes, "I believe that I will see you nice and bright and early tomorrow morning." Placing one quick peck to Troy's lips, Gabriella turned to enter her home.**

"**Nooooo," Troy whined, causing Gabriella to laugh once more as he caught her hand and pulled her tightly back to him once more, his mouth instantly finding hers. Gabriella's arms wrapped tightly around his neck once more, bringing him closer as she twisted her fingers into the ends of his hair, gently curling and uncurling them. Troy meanwhile had his arms enveloping her tiny waist, his hand gently running up and down her back.**

**Breathlessly, the pair eventually broke apart. "Goodnight Wildcat," Gabriella smiled and pecked his cheek tenderly, finally opening the door and slipping into the silent apartment.**

"**Goodnight and goodbye Gabriella Rosemary Montez," Troy whispered, gently touching the spot on his cheek where her lips had been moments ago. Burying his hands into his coat pockets, Troy turned and walked away from Gabriella's apartment, walking out of her life.**

"Mom?" Troy questioned sheepishly, creeping into the kitchen where Lucille was currently finishing up baking a cake for her nursery's fundraiser. Straightening up, the young woman glanced at her one and only son, looking torn apart as he studied her with his wide cobalt eyes. "I'm really, really sorry," He breathed out eventually, looking slightly relieved even for having just gotten that off of his chest. "I really didn't mean what I said earlier, I'm just in a really bad place right now."

Sighing, Lucille nodded slightly, beckoning Troy to her and watching him closely as he hopped up onto the counter. Frowning gently, the middle aged woman handed Troy one of the cookies that Kelsi had left behind earlier, before running a gently hand through his ever lengthening bangs. "You really should cut these you know. They're getting way too long, I can hardly see those gorgeous eyes of yours," Lucille chuckled softly at Troy's grimace as he pulled away from her.

"Nah," He grinned cheekily, flipping his hair out of his eyes with one flick of his head, aiming his twinkling eyes towards Lucille, "I like it like this, and besides, Ella would kill m-" Troy abruptly froze and almost dropped his cookie, all humour gone from his features as what he had just said started to register in his mind. Placing the cookie down beside him, Troy felt sick to his stomach as the day's events came flooding back to him once more.

"Oh sweet boy," Lucille whispered soothingly, placing a hand on the back of Troy's neck and allowing her only child to crumple into her, wishing that she could take all of his grief and anguish from him. "Things will get better Peanut, but right now, out with it. I need to know everything that way hopefully I can help you try to solve this mess that you've apparently gotten into."

Laughing gently at his nickname from since before he was even born, Troy swiped once more at his red eyes and jumped carefully into the stool beside Lucille, turning so that he was facing his Mother. "Everything's just such a mess Mama," Troy sighed, running one hand through his shaggy hair, while glancing up into his Mother's eyes. "I love her so much, but I let her down so badly, there is no chance of her ever forgiving me. Not only that, but I've also just found out that the woman who was like a second Mother to me is no longer alive, plus, in leaving New York without telling them, I lost two amazing friends in Duffy and Avril, I miss them too." Smiling slightly, Troy reached up a hand and touched the inscribed dog tags that lay around his neck, the ones that never left his neck unless he was in the shower.

Watching her son with a sorrowful expression, Lucille smiled softly when she saw his hand tremor when it came into contact with the dog tags, knowing just what they meant to him. "Troy, she's the one," Grinning as Troy glanced at her with a puzzled expression; Lucille couldn't help the gentle laugh that flowed passed her lips. "I always knew that you and Gabs had a tight connection, but I don't think I realised just how deep it was, and I will forever be truly sorry for being one of the people to break that bond, or at least to weaken it. Troy, I honestly believe that there will be only one person that you will truly love in your lifetime, yes you might have and infatuation, or a crush with many, but you will only ever love one." Lucille's grin grew as she watched Troy's confused appearance began to lift, "Gabriella is your love Troy."

Troy laughed the light beginning to slowly return to his eyes at long last, "I think I get it Mama, thanks. But I am pretty sure that you're supposed to be the one telling me that seventeen is too young to fall in love and all that bull shit."

Shrugging, Lucille snorted slightly, "Since when have I been the conventional Mother, Peanut? Minus being the cook in the family part," Laughing merrily, Lucille threw her head back, her laughter growing when she heard Troy's own melody joining hers. "Peanut, if you really love Gabriella as much as I believe that you do, you have to fight for her, and you have to fight with all you've got, because when you find that someone, you can never ever let them go." Smiling, Lucille glance at a picture of herself with her own soul mate, Jack Bolton, during their senior year of college. "As for your other problems, Maria was my best friend when we lived in New York, and I wish as much as you do that we had kept in touch, there is no way to rectify what we lost in that sense. I promise you though Troy Bolton, we will visit her grave, and we will pay our respects to perhaps one of the most amazing women that I have ever met," Troy smiled and nodded, knowing that Maria Montez had had a profound effect on the Bolton household. "Duffy and Avril may be slightly harder, but always remember this, Troy, friendships can be fixed. It will take hard work on both sides, grovelling on yours and forgiveness on theirs, but they can be fixed. Avril will probably be easier to crack then Duffy though, so I'd probably phone her first," Winking at Troy, Lucille stood up and pressed a kiss to the top of Troy's head as he squirmed away from her. "But now, it's late, and I am off to bed, goodnight Peanut."

"Night Mama," Troy beamed, standing himself to get a cold glass of milk from the fridge. Plonking himself back down on the stool, Troy slowly sipped at his glass of milk, watching as the hours crept slowly passed on the clock in front of him and munching on the cookies that had been left on the plate in front of him. Eventually giving up on contemplating the past, and what he was going to do with his future, Troy tidied away his dishes and headed up to his room.

Glancing at his alarm clock, Troy was stunned to realise that it was eighteen minutes past three. Groaning, and knowing that he would still never get to sleep even given the time, the young basketball star opened his balcony doors quietly and stepped out into the cool night air. Leaning on the railings, Troy found himself blinking repeatedly when light suddenly illuminated the area. Glancing to his left in bewilderment, Troy froze as he watched a trembling, red eyed Gabriella stumble into her connecting bathroom.

Curiosity and worry getting the better of him, the young basketball star lifted one leg over his balcony, the other one quickly following. Clambering onto his tree and scrambling down it like a monkey, Troy couldn't help but grin at the ease of it all. Of course, it helped that he had been doing it for ten years now, whenever he and Chad had felt like meeting up in the middle of the night.

Gabriella was floating, she felt like she had been all afternoon, given that she had fallen asleep not long after she had told Chad her tale of New York. However, she could hear voices, all around her. Her Mother blaming her for her death, Troy blaming her for their break up, Duffy and Avril blaming her for their diminishing social status, the list went on and on. With a jolt though, Gabriella found herself back on the worst day of her life, the one day that she never wanted to relive.

She felt like she was having an out of body experience as she watched herself ordering her Mother to go out and get her some aspirin. Gabriella couldn't help but scream at herself, knowing that it would do no good, and that her subconscious was finding some way to lay blame for accident squarely where it belonged, on her shoulders. Suddenly, Gabriella found herself in a driver's seat, one where she could not quite reach the pedal, one in which she was hurtling towards a silver Audi, a small car which she recognised to be her Mother's. Feeling the impact of the truck on the car, Gabriella let out a scream of pure anguish as she threw herself from the truck, reaching her Mother's lifeless corpse in an instant, those dead eyes that were usually so full of life staring at her, the blood all around seeming to portray one message to the young girl – this is all your fault.

Waking with a start, Gabriella shrieked slightly, before managing to clamp a shaking hand over her mouth, the tears streaming down her face. Staring at the door, she was thankful to find that it did not open, everyone else still sleeping soundly, even through the nightmare whereby she had been thrashing around and mumbling to herself. Running one hand through her tangled curls, Gabriella managed to sit upright, grabbing the glass of water from her bedside and gulping it down as if her life depended on it.

Flicking her crimson eyes to the clock on her bedside table, the brunette groaned as she read the time of three eighteen am. Sighing, she reached over and turned on her bedside lamp, getting to her feet and padding the small distance to her bathroom.

Leaning against her bathroom sink, Gabriella grimaced as she studied her reflection carefully. Her usually bright eyes had dulled considerably and were ringed by crimson, proving that she had been crying a considerable amount recently. Her bouncing curls were lifeless and in a ratty mess. Overall, the young girl looked just as she felt, like hell on a bad day. Snapping her eyes closed, the young girl managed another shaky breath.

Gabriella jumped in surprise when she felt a pair of familiar arms wrap snugly around her waist. Slowly, she raised her head so that her own eyes caught on a pair of sparkling cobalt eyes in the mirror, although they were filled with pain, hurt and despair, mirroring her very own eyes.

"Troy," she breathed out softly, leaning backwards into him and breathing in his scent, never breaking the eye contact. "What are you doing here? How did you get in here? Everyone else is asleep!" Gabriella whisper yelled, struggling to pull away unsuccessfully, as Troy held her back firmly to his chest.

"Shhh Ella, quiet or you'll wake everyone else up," Troy muttered soothingly. Gently he stroked Gabriella's stomach through her night top, a trick that he had learned to calm her down whenever she got upset while they were dating. "To answer your questions, I climbed the tree outside your room, and came in through your balcony door, which you really should lock by the way. As to answer what I'm doing here, I saw your light switch on, and figured that you must be upset about something, otherwise you would be asleep right now," Troy murmured, his eyes still locked onto Gabriella's in the mirror. His hands still lovingly caressed her stomach, slowly breathing in her scent that he had missed so much in their four and a half months apart.

"I'm fine Troy really," Gabriella insisted in a low tone. Stopping her struggle against Troy's muscular arms, Gabriella realised that her attempts had been pointless, and that for the first time since her Mother had died, she actually felt somewhat safe.

Troy snorted quietly and the ghost of a smile played on his lips, "Gabriella Rosemary Montez, who do you think I am?" Troy asked fairly harshly. Before dropping his voice back to a low calming tone, "Sparrow, I know you far better than anyone in this universe, you should know that. I can tell that you've been crying because your eyes are slightly red and puffy, and I can see that terror in your eyes that frightens me more than you will ever know," Troy finished softly, taking Gabriella's hands in his and resting them on her stomach. Gently he interlocked their fingers as his eyes lit up with a sudden realisation, "Elle Belle, you're blaming yourself for the accident, aren't you?"

Troy could feel his heart shattering into a million different pieces as he watched Gabriella nod; a few tears slipping out from under her now closed eyelids. "It was my fault Troy. If I'd never sent her out to get me some aspirin, she'd have never died, or if I'd gone with her like she'd wanted me to, maybe she'd be the one that was still alive, and I would have been the one to have rightfully lost my life." Gabriella sobbed, and Troy instantly turned her around in his arms, holding her tightly to him as she sobbed into his chest. A frown coursing its' way across his defined features, as he thought over what she had just said, and how close he had truly come to losing her forever.

After a few minutes, Troy gently placed two fingers under Gabriella's chin and tilted her head so that her own bloodshot eyes met his. "Ella, I never want to hear you say something like that again, it was not your fault, it will never be your fault, it was the fault of the person in the other car who was drunk and ran straight through that red light, and my G-d Ella. The thought that I could of lost you for good," Troy broke off, too afraid to finish his sentence as Gabriella finally broke free of his arms and pulled away from him slightly, looking him directly in the eye.

"You lost me for good nearly five months ago now Troy, when you broke all of your promises," Gabriella hissed. Troy felt as though a knife was twisting through his heart as he winced at the venom in Gabriella's tone, before she continued once more, "and I may have believed the rest of what you said at one time, but not anymore." Gabriella glared at him and took another step backwards, so that her back was pressed up against the sink, "I made a mistake once Troy and I won't make it again. I did love you once, but I don't love you now, and I never will again."

Gabriella thought she saw a flash of hurt streak across Troy's eyes, but that was gone momentarily, as he strode forwards two paces. Putting an arm either side of Gabriella, he effectively trapped her against the sink, as his sapphire eyes turned almost black with fury.

"Don't you dare lie to me Gabriella," Troy snarled. His eyes staring into her now saucer sized chocolate ones, "I can tell that you still love me just as much as I still love you. Do whatever the hell else you want to do, lie to yourself and everyone else, but not to me, never lie to me."

"How did you know?" Gabriella whispered timidly. Troy's breathing and eye colour quickly returned to normal, genuinely sorry for scaring her.

"Because Gabriella, I know you better than you know yourself," He smiled softly at her, plucking at the oversized top that she was wearing, "Plus, you're still wearing my tops, and more importantly." He paused momentarily, and gently pulled on the silver chain around her neck, exposing the heart locket, the rubies sparkling in the dim bathroom light, before tugging on a chain around his own neck, revealing the inscribed dog tags around his neck, which Gabriella had bought for him at the same time he had bought her the necklace, their first anniversary, only two weeks before he had left. "We both promised that we'd only ever take these off if we stopped loving the other person, please Ella, I need you," Troy pleaded desperately, his eyes shiny with unshed tears as his voice cracked slightly.

"I can't Troy, it's too hard," Gabriella whispered, her own eyes glassy with tears, "You promised to always protect me and never leave me, I thought that you'd be different, but you left me behind too, just like everybody else."

"I still love you my little Sparrow, I'll always love you, and I'm going to keep fighting for you until you realise that we belong together," Troy murmured lovingly, kissing her forehead gently, causing her eyes to flutter gently closed. When Gabriella finally opened her eyes, he was gone…

**Well that was Chapter 5, I hope that you enjoyed it and please review to tell me what you thought! Thanks again for all of the reviews on the last chapter.**


	6. I'll Be There For You

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys, I am so, so, so sorry that I haven't updated in a while! My internet connection decided to bugger up, but here is Chapter 6 and chapter 7 will be up tomorrow and after that I promise that it will be regular updates once more. Thank you for your reviews on the last chapter, I hope that you enjoy this one and please review it!**

**I'll be there for you  
When the rain starts to pour  
I'll be there for you  
Like I've been there before  
I'll be there for you  
'Cuz you're there for me too**

**I'll Be There For You – The Rembrandts**

**Chapter 6 – I'll Be There For You**

Pacing in front of the cream coloured house, Kelsi sighed softly, occasionally letting her eyes flicker over to her cousin's house next door. Giving up her pacing and sitting on the porch step, the young girl continually wrung her hands together as she considered phoning the two numbers that she knew she should have deleted long ago. Groaning once more, Kelsi clicked off of her phonebook and stuffed her phone in her pocket, resuming her pacing.

Finally lifting her hand to ring the doorbell, the blue eyed girl jumped back in shock as the door swung open in front of her. Laughing as Chad let out a little shriek of his own when he saw her, Kelsi lifted her hand to wave, a bashful grin covering her face.

"Please don't tell anyone, especially Troy, that that just happened!" Chad pleaded, grinning when he saw Kelsi's nod. Still chuckling nervously, the dark eyed boy sat down on his front porch step, patting the area next to him until Kelsi sat down with a giggle. A fluff ball then poceeded to scamper out of the house and collapse onto Kelsi's knee, making her laugh as she stroked the top of Pippin's head gently. "What you doing here Kels?"

"Well Aunt Lucille actually called me over to try and get Troy out of his room because apparently he hasn't left it in a week," Kelsi and Chad both grimaced, each having been turned down on numerous occasions of trying to get Troy to go somewhere with the over the course of the last week. "But, I figured that I would ask you to do that job because, well Gabriella, she was my best friend Chad, and I need to patch things up with her, I just feel so bad."

"Yeah. Well it's just as well that I was just about to head to yours or Taylor's, I hadn't quite decided yet," Chad grinned, "Briella hasn't come out of her room in the best part of a week either." Chad sighed sadly, "I figured that you or Tay might be able to get her out at long last, I've tried everything that I can think of, and I officially give up." The brown eyed boy shot a pleading glance to the girl sat beside him who nodded thoughtfully.

"Tell you what, you tackle Troy, and I'll tackle Ella, deal?" Kelsi beamed as she stuck her hand out for Chad to shake, the afro headed boy instantly taking her up with her offer.

"Just go straight inside Kels, my parents are both at work anyways," Chad beamed, turning to head next door. "Oh and Briella's room is the one opposite mine!" He called back over his shoulder with a departing wave.

Kelsi beamed and opened the front door to the house, laughing when she saw Chad waiting patiently at the door to the Bolton household, Pippin sat anxiously at his feet with her head tilted to the side. "Just go in Chad. Uncle Jack's coaching at a camp all summer, Aunt Luc is at work, and G-d alone knows Troy won't answer the door in his current frame of mind." Chad laughed and opened the door in front of him, about to take a step into the house when he heard Kelsi's voice once more. "Can I borrow your car keys? The best way to get her out of the house is probably to promise her that she can drive us somewhere," Kelsi laughed shrugging, "At least it always seemed to work back in New York."

Chad nodded, reaching into the pocket of his knee length blue surfer shorts and dragging his car keys out. Tossing them across the two large gardens that encompassed the cream houses to Kelsi, he laughed when she caught them, proving herself to be the niece of the best coach for miles around as well as the cousin of the best basketball player in the state. Entering the Bolton household, Chad heard the shower running and took the stairs two at a time up to Troy's room, the small dog following closely on his heels.

Sticking the keys into the pocket of her denim shorts, Kelsi took a deep breath and headed into the Danforth's house. Quickly, she navigated through the house in the way that she would have usually gone towards Chad's room, but turned to the door opposite at the last minute. Smiling, Kelsi glanced at the pictures that covered the white door, featuring Gabriella, Chad, Taylor, Duffy, Avril, and surprisingly, Kelsi herself. Raising her hand, the blue eyed girl sent a quick prayer heavenward and rapped delicately on the door.

"Leave me alone Chad, I'm not coming out!" A voice answered from behind the closed door.

Taking a deep breath, Kelsi cleared her throat carefully, "It's not Chad, Elro."

The few minutes of silence were hell for the occupants' on both sides of the door. Sighing miserably, Kelsi turned to go, just as the door swung open to reveal a slightly red eyed, wild haired unhappy looking Gabriella.

"Oh Elro," Kelsi whispered, brushing a strand of the dark haired girls hair behind her ear before wrapping her into a tight hug.

"I missed you Keli," Gabriella cried out softly, burying her head into Kelsi's shoulder.

"Me too, Elro, me too," Kelsi muttered. Breaking apart, the two girls laughed, each wiping away their own tears. "Can I come in?" Kelsi laughed, motioning passed the doorway that they were currently standing in into Gabriella's room itself.

Smiling, Gabriella stood back, bounding into the room after Kelsi and collapsing onto her bed once more, surrounded by her extensive photograph collection. Joining Gabriella, Kelsi reached over and picked up one of the photographs. Chuckling softly, she traced her finger over the happy faces in the picture. Gabriella was on Troy's back, holding onto an empty ice cream cone with a disbelieving look on her face. The ice cream itself had seemingly landed in a dollop on Troy's head. Avril and Kelsi were stood either side of the couple, clutching their sides with laughter, while Troy himself sent each of the girls' confused glances. Troy's friends Paul and Seth were stood in the background, amused smirks covering their faces.

"Damn, I remember this," Studying the picture carefully as Gabriella leaned over to see which photo she was looking at. Subconsciously, she reached up to grip the locket surrounding her neck. "Didn't it take Troy like a week to get his hair back to normal again after this?"

Smiling sadly, Gabriella nodded, "Yeah, that was Jameson Carnival, like three weeks before you left to move back down here to Albuquerque because your parents were finally back from their trip."

"Yeah," Kelsi smiled softly, placing the photograph back with all of the others laid out on Gabriella's bed. "Listen, Elro, I'm so, so sorry ab-"

Gabriella abruptly cut Kelsi off by holding up her hand. "Keli, I don't blame you," She shrugged slightly, glancing at the confused teenage girl. "It's hard to stay in touch over this distance, of course I missed you, I missed my best friend like mad, but I can't blame you."

"You blame Troy though," Kelsi pointed out, her eyes fairly wide behind her glasses as she watched Gabriella wince at the sound of his name.

"I was, am, in love with him, Keli," Kelsi's eyes trebled in size at the sound of Gabriella's shocked confession, "I don't think I'll ever stop loving him, he was my everything, and my first for everything as well." Gabriella's fingers found a picture of Troy and she let them slowly dance across his defined cheek bones and his twinkling eyes. "He broke promises to me Keli. My Dad always taught me that a promise was a huge deal before he died and I've continued to think that way ever since. I love Troy, but it hurts to remember what he put me through. I had no idea where he was or what had happened to him. Paul eventually told me what was going on in the end, before he and Seth ultimately ditched us for their popularity. It hurts to even imagine where we could have been at now as well."

Kelsi nodded slowly, "I think that I get it, but I think that you should give him a chance to explain. Maybe there's more to this than you realise?" This time it was Kelsi's turn to hold up her hand in order to silence Gabriella, "Now, Chad tells me that you haven't been out of this room in a week, so, what do you think about going to get a little ice cream? I know the best little place, and it's on me."

Gabriella's eyes widened once more, her head shaking swiftly from side to side, curls flying everywhere. "Kelsi, I can't leave here, please don't make me."

Kelsi sighed, digging into her pocket and bringing Chad's car keys out, she dangled them in front of Gabriella's watchful stare. "I'll let you drive."

Snatching the keys from Kelsi's hand, Gabriella gazed back at her friend, a determined look on her face. "Give me twenty minutes to get changed and then show me which way to go."

Stepping into Troy's room, Chad rolled his eyes at the billow of steam entering the room through the slightly open door of Troy's bathroom. Settling back onto the bed, Chad picked up a photo frame that he had never noticed on Troy's bedside table before, ignoring Pippin who had also jumped up onto Troy's bed, something Chad knew he would end up paying for later on. His eyes widened when he realised that the girl in the photo was Gabriella, though not as he had ever seen her. She looked unbelievably happy, with a sincere twinkle in her eyes as she twirled underneath the falling cherry blossom from the trees either side if the path that she was on. Her white dress reached mid thigh with frills floating around the bottom and a v neckline dipping modestly into her cleavage from the two thick straps covering her shoulders. Her dark curls were much shorter than they were now, reaching just beyond her shoulders. On the one side of her head, her bangs had been swept backwards, held in place with a large cream flower, the pink blossom getting caught up in her hair only adding to her aura of beauty. In short, she looked breathtakingly stunning.

Looking up as the shower finally stopped and his best friend left his bathroom with only a towel wrapped around his waist, water still dripping from his body, Chad rolled his eyes as he realised that Troy still hadn't noticed that he was sitting on his bed.

Towel drying his hair, Troy eventually gave up and started shaking his head like a dog in order to try and dry his hair. Seeing Chad waving like a madman out of the corner of his eye, Troy yelped and jumped backwards into the bathroom once more. "Holy shit Chad! What the hell are you doing here?" Troy yelled at his brown eyed best friend who was now doubled over with laughter. "And how the hell did you get in here?"

Still chuckling, Chad grabbed the red basketball shorts and the white Wildcats t-shirt from the edge of the bed, jumping over to the bathroom door and handing them to Troy's grasping hand. "First of all, Kelsi told me to just come in." Chad's laughter continued as he could hear Troy cursing his cousin from the bathroom. "Secondly, me and Kels did a swap. I'm trying to get you out of your room, and she's trying to get Briella out of hers."

"Something's wrong with Gabriella?" Troy yelled, stumbling out of his bathroom now fully clothed and wide eyed.

"Chill out lover boy, she's ok, well as ok as she can be," Chad smiled softly, watching Troy run a shaky hand through his shaggy wet hair. Tilting his head to the side, Chad studied his best friend closely, "Look Troy, I know I've asked Briella this, and no I will not tell you her answer, but you really do love her don't you?" Handing the photo to Troy, Chad watched the blue eyed boy's face light up and the twinkle return to his eyes that Chad had not seen since Troy had first left for New York.

"Well I already know her answer, but yeah, I love her with everything that I am," Troy smiled gazing at the picture thoughtfully, "She was my everything for so long Chad, I still wear the dog tags she bought me and I still carry her photo in my wallet. This picture is still my favourite though." Laughing softly, Troy placed the photo back onto his nightstand and folded his arms across his chest, glancing back to Chad. Finally seeing Pippin sat on his bed, Troy's eyes narrowed as both he and the dog glared at one another, "What is Viscious doing here?"

"Pip needed the excercise so I figured I'd bring her with me," Chad shrugged, rubbing the little dogs' head. "Anyway let's go Captai, I need a partner to come running with me," Chad grinned, handing Troy his brand new Nike trainers before exiting the room and pounding down the stairs, slamming the front door behind himself.

Finding Chad stretching out in the front garden, Troy shook his head, locking the front door and joining Chad on the front lawn. "Fine, I'll come with you Chad, but I promised Uncle Julian that I would help him with some lifting in the ice cream shop, so my one condition is that our route goes by there, and you help out too."

"Fine," Chad huffed, taking off down the street with a laughing Troy following after him, Pippin winding her way around their ankles, seeming determined to trip Troy over while Chad only laughed at her and Troy continually stumbled, cursing Pippin.

"Elro, just park in the employees' parking around back, there should only be my parents' cars there at the minute," Kelsi beamed, chortling at Gabriella's astonished face.

"I totally forgot that you told me that they owned 'Nielson's ice cream parlour'," She chuckled softly, "I'm still dying to try one of their famous ice creams."

Kelsi grinned as she linked arms with the dark haired girl and led her around to the front of the shop, "Well now is your opportunity." Gabriella laughed and shook her head, allowing the two loose plaits at either side of her head to fly around her before carefully falling onto her shoulders once more, loose curls now surrounding her face as she stuck her tongue out at Kelsi. Kelsi laughed and tugged on Gabriella's plaits playfully, studying the chocolate eyed girl carefully. She smiled as she saw the bouncy, happy Gabriella that she once knew. Her white denim shorts showed off her tanned skin for all to see, whereas her pale yellow gypsy top settled just right on her, showing just the right amount of cleavage before the buttons trailed to the end of the shirt. The short sleeves cupping her shoulders just enough to show off the dangling silver heart with sparkling rubies that lay around her neck.

"Come on," Kelsi laughed, gripping Gabriella's hand as she pushed open the door and entered the air conditioned shop. "Mom, Dad," She called out, smiling at the regular customers who waved at her as the pair headed for the counter. "I'd like you both to meet my good friend Gabriella Montez from New York, Elro, this is my Dad, Julian Nielson, and my Mom, Nicole Francis-Nielson, Lucille Bolton's identical twin sister," she added when she saw Gabriella looking slightly warily at her Mom.

"It's very nice to meet you," Gabriella smiled shyly.

"You too Gabriella," Julian smiled, glancing affectionately at Kelsi, while Nicole smiled at the pait and headed off to serve other customers who had just walked through the door. "You having the usual Kiddo?" He beamed ruffling her hair as Kelsi nodded and shrieked, ducking away from him. "What can I get for you Gabriella?"

"She'll have toffee flavoured ice cream with chocolate sauce and a mini marshmallow topping Uncle Julian," Troy smirked as the girls whirled around to stare at the smirking Troy and the slightly confused Chad.

"Right you are Troy Boy," Julian smiled tenderly, eyes twinkling behind his thick rimmed glasses. "The usual for you two boys' then I'll take it?" Seeing the teenagers nod once more, the middle aged man smiled and set to work oblivious to the longing glances between Troy and Gabriella and the tense looks on both Kelsi and Chad's faces.

"How did you remember?" Gabriella questioned quietly, allowing her gaze to sweep over his chest and over his arms before finally allowing her eyes to catch onto his. She was unable to deny that his muscles had grown since he had left her in New York, or that she would give anything to feel those arms wrapped securely around her once again.

"Because, Ella," Troy grinned when he saw her wince slightly, he chuckled as he placed two fingers under her chin, forcing her to look at him as he withdrew his hand. "I ordered the same thing for you every time I took you out for ice cream for a year." Placing a hand on her hip, he smirked as he felt a shiver ripple through her body as he leaned over to whisper in her ear, "I meant what I said Ella, I'm not giving up." Placing a kiss to her temple, he pulled away once more. "Chad!" He called over his shoulder, grabbing his ice cream and heading into the back room to see what work needed to be done, Chad following closely behind him, leaving the two stunned girls in their wake.

**Thanks again for your reviews from the last chapter, I hope you enjoyed that one, please review and tell me what you thought!**


	7. And I Don't Want The World To See Me

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys, thank you so much for all of your reviews on the last chapter! They all mean so much to me and really do keep me writing, please review this chapter as it is my favourite one in this story so far, and hearing your thoughts on it really will mean a lot to me so let's see if we can get ten reviews before I update please! The chapter is named after the song Iris by the Goo Goo Dolls, but it took me a lot of debating between that song and I Got You by Leona Lewis, for reasons that you'll hopefully discover later in the chapter, I did choose Iris, please let me know if you think that was the right decision. As always, I hope that you enjoy reading the chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it and please review with your thoughts!**

**And I don't want the world to see me  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand  
When everything's made to be broken  
I just want you to know who I am**

**Iris – Goo Goo Dolls**

**Chapter 7 – And I Don't Want The World To See Me**

"Elro, do you want to leave?" Kelsi muttered, watching the boys' disappear behind her Dad into the stockroom at the back of the counter.

"No Keli, I'm going to have to face up to him someday, I can't let this rule my life forever," The raven haired girl shrugged with a sigh as she grabbed a seat at one of the booths, picking a marshmallow off of the top of her ice cream, "it's hardly fair on you or Chad or any of the others to make you choose between us, especially as they barely know me at all and I made myself look like a right twat when I first met the others." Giggling, Kelsi slid into the booth beside Gabriella just as the door to the shop dinged open and three excitable boys dashed in, heading straight for the stock room, Jason pausing momentarily to give Kelsi a peck on the lips before following Zeke and Ryan.

Trailing the boys' more calmly, Sharpay and Taylor collected their regular ice creams from where Mrs. Nielson had them waiting for them, before joining Kelsi and Gabriella in the booth. "Hey guys, what are you doing here?" Taylor questioned, grabbing a spoonful of her caramel ice cream as she sat next to Kelsi.

"Well, we were just coming in for a relaxing ice cream until they all showed up," Kelsi sighed sadly, throwing a glance at Gabriella who was watching Sharpay let her ice cream drip from her spoon in amusement.

"Do you know how many calories this crap has in it?" Sharpay shrieked, looking directly at a giggling Gabriella as she shoved the ice cream away from her.

Gabriella just shook her head at the blonde, pulling the ice cream back in front of her, Kelsi and Taylor shaking their heads in horror, urging Gabriella not to do it as Sharpay grew red faced. "A) Sharpay, you're like way to thin anyway," Gabriella laughed as a beam lit up Sharpay's face at the compliment and Kelsi and Taylor simply rolled their eyes, tucking healthily into their own ice creams, "And B) as my Mami always taught me, ice cream is good for the soul and for confessions." Kelsi and Taylor both laughed, watching in amazement as Sharpay actually started to eat the ice cream.

"G-d I forgot how much your Mom used to ride on the four of us whenever we started to give the ice cream a hard time," Kelsi grinned at Gabriella who nodded emphatically, "She would basically go out and buy us each a tub and then sit and watch until we'd all eaten every scrap, and confessed everything that was worrying us or simply eating us up at the time, regardless of whether it was all four of us and likely to take up her entire night, or if it was just one of us. She was truly a remarkable woman."

"That she was," Gabriella smiled warmly, a mourning look filling her eyes.

"Well then, I propose a toast," Sharpay smiled, feeling each of the girls' curious eyes on her, "Gabby, what was your Mom called?"

"Maria Gabriella Montez," Gabriella smiled softly, each of the girls' awing when they realised that she was named after her Mother, causing her to blush a scarlet colour.

"To Maria Gabriella Montez, thank you for teaching many young girls the true value of ice cream and for sending your daughter here to us to give us some entertaining drama over this summer," Gabriella flicked a marshmallow at Sharpay, but the blonde managed to duck just in time, "May she rest in peace as she will be sorely missed by all of those who knew her."

The four girls' sat at the table raised their plastic spoons together as Sharpay leaned over and gave Gabriella a giant hug, welcoming her to the group once more as they all started to dig into their melting ice creams. The chatter seemed to stem easily between the four of them, and before they knew it, an hour a half flew by, the only interruption being the Sex and the City theme song suddenly blaring out of Gabriella's iphone which she excused herself to go and answer.

"What was all that about Gabs?" Taylor questioned with a smile, returning to the table with a third round of ice creams as Gabriella also slid back into the booth and Sharpay started to moan about death by ice cream until Kelsi elbowed her.

"Nothing much, just Jake and Lorraine saying that they were going to be out all night tonight, they've been visiting friends in Phoenix and they've decided to stay the night rather than start heading home now," Gabriella smiled, digging into the layer of chocolate sauce covering her ice cream.

"How come you've got the Sex and the City theme song for you ring tone Gabby? I really didn't see you as the sort of person that would watch the show or the movies," Sharpay questioned, still eyeing up this round of ice cream as though it were her worst enemy. Gabriella however, glanced to Kelsi, and both young girls burst out laughing, much to Taylor and Sharpay's shock and bewilderment. Grabbing her phone out again, Gabriella began to dial a number she knew off my heart. Within seconds, Kelsi's blackberry that she had placed on the table roared into life with the exact same tone.

"Okay, now I'm doubly confused," Taylor sighed, still watching the giggling girls.

"Basically Tay, there were four of us, me, Elro, Duffy and Avril who all wound up as the best of friends living around the same area of New York," Kelsi grinned, looking at Gabriella who nodded, encouraging her to go on. "We all fell in love with Sex and the City at the same time and obviously being that we lived in New York and there were four of us, we each assigned who we thought the others were to them, freakishly, we all picked different people for everyone to which was a surprise. We assumed that we'd end up with like two Carrie's or something, but it worked like a charm, and they fit us like a charm."

"Who got who?" Taylor asked with a grin, clearly intrigued by the idea as Sharpay also leant forward, eager to hear.

"Well, we decided that Kelsi was Charlotte," Gabriella grinned, looking at the blushing composer, "Because she was most definitely the Mother hen of our group and always talking about the Prince Charming that she had waiting for her back here in Albuquerque. Avril became Miranda because once a show got started at school, the girl became obsessed, it was like impossible to tear her away from any project for anything, and Duffy landed Samantha, which suited her perfectly," Gabriella laughed, and Kelsi shoved a hand over her mouth to stop her ice cream from ending up all over the table.

"What was her last bed notch count up to?" The blue eyed brunette questioned, a chuckle escaping from her as Gabriella shrugged slightly.

"I have no idea, I think that she'd lost count," Gabriella laughed as the others all burst it fits of laughter once more. "I always did love how she could make a hump 'em and dump 'em routine actually seem classy," Gabriella smirked, "I do know that she'd given up on high school boys and was onto college ones, though I don't think they knew she was only seventeen."

"Well then that leaves you to be Carrie then, right Gabby?" Sharpay questioned curiously as she started to blush.

"That's because they would all go to her for advice on anything and everything and because they all knew that she was waiting for the right guy to come along and sweep her off of her feet, which just so happened to be moi," Troy smirked as all of the girls whirled around to see the group of sweaty boys now stood at the entrance to the booth.

"Briella did you hear the awesome news?" Chad grinned, squashing into the booth beside Taylor as Ryan did beside Gabriella, with the rest of the guys' balanced precariously on the edge. "Oh and Jase, pass the dog up please," Chad grinned as Jason reached down and picked up Pippin, placing her on the table as everyone watched her scamper to the other end and squeeze in between Sharpay and Kelsi, immediately claiming more of the booth than the five guys as she stretched out.

"What awesome news?" Gabriella questioned curiously, "Do you mean Jake and Lorraine being away tonight?"

"Yep," Chad beamed, "Would you be able to cover for me please? Only one of the guys' on the team Shawn Klapow is having a party for players only tonight and I really need a good night out."

"Sure," Gabriella shrugged, "I did it flawlessly for certain people for a year," She glared at Troy who winced while the guys all laughed at him, getting pounded by their respective girlfriends' if the girls' could reach them, "So doing it for someone that I actually like will be no problem whatsoever. And on that note I better take Pippin home, she's probably about ready to eat the table by the looks of her. Oh and Chad, here's your car keys, I'll just walk her home."

"If you're sure," Chad smiled, pocketing the keys and laughing as he watched Gabriella climb over the back of the booth before having Pippin handed to her by Sharpay, "See you later Briella."

"You know what, I could really use a good walk home to," Troy smirked, starting to stand up until Ryan and Zeke pushed him back into his seat, Gabriella mouthing a thank you to them before fleeing out of the door, everyone else simply glaring at a chuckling Troy.

Hearing the buzzing of a phone along with the loud sounds of the Sex and the City theme song surrounding her, Gabriella shot upright, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes as her hand grasped around her nightstand, trying to find her cell phone. "Taylor, what the hell? It's like..." Gabriella trailed of, glancing at her alarm clock through bleary eyes, "Twenty past two! Tay why are you phoning me now? It's way too early!" She whined tiredly.

"Sorry Gabs, but I'm a bit stuck here," Taylor laughed nervously, "I really need your help."

"Tay, what crisis at two in the morning could possibly need my help? And if you say anything to do with hair, clothes or my brother, I may just kill you," Gabriella growled, throwing herself back onto her cushions once more and placing her spare hand over her eyes, gently rubbing the sides of them as they fluttered closed.

"Well, you see Gabs, it's Troy," Taylor muttered, causing Gabriella's eyes to snap open as she sat bolt upright, her heart pounding at the simple sound of his name, "And your brother. You know how they both went to that damn party that the other basketball player Shawn Klapow was holding for players only? Well, erm, I kind of got a phone call from Chad about an hour ago and it was barely eligible."

"What do you mean?" Gabriella questioned, her brow furrowing in puzzlement as she hopped around her room in the dim light from her bedside table attempting to pull a pair of jeans on.

Taylor sighed on the other end before yelling something about staying away from the road to Chad as if he were a small child, causing Gabriella's confusion to grow further. "Basically Gabs, they've had just a little bit, ok a hell of a lot, too much to drink," Taylor muttered and Gabriella could hear the irritation in her voice. She couldn't help but laugh slightly when she realised that her brother would pay for this little stunt in the morning. "Fundamentally Gabs, will you please come and get Troy? I was just going to take them both back to mine, even though I know the Danforth's aren't there tonight, but Troy started muttering something about how Ella told him never to leave parties if he was too drunk and no one was there to pick him up. For some reason, he won't let me take him home and then he went on to say that he wouldn't leave until you came and picked him up because you always come for him when his head hurts. Now though, I'm reaching the end of my tether because he's staging a sit in and refusing to move from the front lawn until you come for him and Chad's playing chicken with the cars left on the road, if the cars don't kill him, I will!"

Gabriella couldn't help the laughter that flowed freely as she pulled her hoody over her head, grabbing her Chad's car keys and the house keys, "Chill Tay, just give me directions and I'll be there as soon as I can, I know how stubborn Troy can get when he's drunk, regardless of how much I currently don't want anything to do with him, I'll take care of him tonight, G-d knows Lucille will kill him if he goes home."

"Thanks Gabby, I owe you big," Taylor laughed softly down the phone, before yelling at Chad once more to move away from the road again.

Pulling up at the curb outside of the house that Taylor had directed her to; Gabriella pulled up her hood and stepped out of the red Audi SUV, laughing as she took in the scene in front of her. Chad was sat on the curb, his elbows rested on his knees with his head in his hands, a pout covering his face. Taylor meanwhile was crouched in front of him, lecturing him on the dangers of traffic and roads while he rolled his eyes at her and huffed louder. Gabriella's gaze then flickered over to where Troy was sat in the middle of the lawn, gazing up to the stars, swaying side to side and singing 'we shall not be moved' at the top of his lungs.

Gabriella's giggles obviously attracted attention though as Troy's singing abruptly stopped and he let his stare twist over to her face, a look of recognition lighting up his features. "Eeeellllllllaaaaaa!" He called out, a gleeful expression on his face while he held out his arms for her like a child would for their parents at the end of a long day at nursery, while a child like grin lit up his face and he flicked his hair out of his sparkling baby blue eyes.

Regardless of how furious she was at Troy at this current moment in time, Gabriella couldn't help but giggle, having forgotten just how adorable and funny drunk Troy could be. "Hi Troy," She waved softly, walking slowly towards him as he watched her with large eyes. Tilting his head slightly to look at her, Troy laughed as his whole body suddenly tilted sideways, landing him on his back as Gabriella appeared above him, still giggling gently to herself. Taylor smiled at her, helping Chad over to where the pair of ex-lovers were stood or lying, dumping him on the ground next to his best friend.

"Sorry about this Gabs," Taylor smiled sadly. "But he literally wouldn't move until he saw you, although if I heard one more chorus of that song, I was about to scream."

Gabriella just beamed at Taylor, still chuckling softly, but her chuckles turned into full blown laughter when Troy decided that it would be fun to start singing again, very drunkenly, and very off key. "When the sun shines we'll shine together, told you'll I'll be here forever," Gabriella winced as the lyric flew unaffectedly out of Troy's mouth given that the drunken boy had evidently forgotten the events of the last few months, while Taylor shot a nervous and worried glance at her, "You can stand under my umbrella-Ella-Ella-eh-eh-eh. Ella is that song about you?" Troy questioned, still lying on the ground as his confused expression appeared to grow while he looked at the laughing girls.

"Oh Troy shurup," Chad slurred, throwing out a hand that managed to smack across Troy's facing, "It too loud." He moaned, still keeping his arm across Troy's face where the chestnut headed boy had practically started to eat Chad's arm.

"On that note, we're out of here," Gabriella chuckled, reaching down and hauling Troy to his feet, gently pulling him to the red SUV and forcing him up into the passenger seat once she had the door open, placing the bowl that she had brought with her, just in case, onto his lap as she buckled up his seat belt.

"Thank you Ella," Troy beamed, placing a kiss to a chuckling Gabriella's cheek.

"No problem Troy," She smiled, hopping down and closing the door, heading back over to where Taylor was still stood with Chad. "It's always amazed me how freakishly polite that boy becomes when he's drunk," Gabriella shook her head, placing her hands on her hips as she looked down to her now sleeping brother.

"How did you just get him into the car? You're so tiny and well Troy's obviously not fat, but the boy has a hell of a lot of muscles," Taylor muttered in disbelief, still gaping at Troy who had now fallen asleep in the passenger seat of the car, "Not that I've been looking," Taylor added hastily, noticing the aggravated look that crossed Gabriella's face at her words.

Glancing at Troy quickly, Gabriella smiled softly, stretching before wrapping her arms tightly around herself. "Months and months of practice Tay, he called me whenever he was in a situation like this, and quite frankly, at that point in time, I was happy to help and pleased that he didn't just attempt to get home by himself," Gabriella laughed sadly, "Would you like me to get Chad into your car for you?"

"Please," Taylor whispered desperately, noticing some of the lights in the neighbouring houses switch on as other basketball players' girlfriends, non-basketball playing friends and siblings roared away with the overall incredibly drunk boys, leaving only Chad, Taylor and Gabriella stood outside.

Crouching next to Chad, Gabriella continually shook him while he waved his hand around madly, attempting to hit her but missing by a mile every time. Eventually, the grumbling Chad sat bolt upright, glaring at Gabriella through narrowed eyes and mumbling to himself. Taking her hand when she offered it, Chad allowed himself to be heaved to his feet, stumbling and almost falling once more on numerous occasions until Gabriella finally managed to manoeuvre herself under his arm, half dragging, half leading him over to where Taylor now stood, the passenger door of her jet black BMW M3 convertible. Launching Chad into the passenger seat, Gabriella stepped back and allowed Taylor to buckle him in; standing up and leaning on the door once she had done so.

"Thanks Gabs, I honestly don't know what I would have done if you hadn't been able to come to get Troy," Taylor smiled sincerely, wrapping the curly haired girl into a hug.

"Tay, it's fine, I say how much I hate him, but," Gabriella gaze flickered over to the angelic sleeping boy in the front seat of her car and a gentle, peaceful glow overcame her face, "I would still lay down my life for that boy, and who knows, maybe one day I will be able to forgive him, because quite frankly, I'm already finding it hard to resist."

Taylor nodded slightly, about to say something when a noise from inside the BMW interrupted the two girls, and the roof started to fold down, "Chad what did you do?" Taylor whisper yelled at him, focusing a glare on the young boy as he looked back up at her innocently.

"I wanted to press the big button," He giggled, reaching over to press it again and laughing when the roof started to fold back up.

"On that note, we're definately out of here," Gabriella laughed, heading towards the Audi containing the sleeping Troy. Looking back over her shoulder, she laughed when she saw Chad continuously pressing the button and Taylor rubbing her temples in frustration, "Have fun with that Tay," she laughed as the dark skinned girl stuck her middle finger up at her new best friend.

"Switch with me Gabby, please," Taylor begged, but Gabriella just shook her head, climbing into her car.

"Not a chance," She whispered, tenderly stroking Troy's bangs out of his eyes as he snored softly.

Pulling into the Danforth's driveway a few minutes later, Gabriella sighed sadly, a soft smile dancing across her lips as she watched the boy she still loved with all of her heart sleeping serenely beside her. Hopping out of the car, she cast one quick glance to the Bolton household next door, before shaking her head and making her way to the passenger door, opening it and jumping up onto the edge of the seat beside Troy.

"Troy," She muttered, gently shaking him as he started to mumble, his once peaceful sleep now disturbed. "Troy come on, wake up," Rolling her eyes as Troy turned his head away from her, burying it into the backrest of the seat, a wicked grin formed on Gabriella's face as she realised the perfect plan to get the basketball star to get up. Leaning over so that she was hovering right above his ear, she gently brushed his hair out of the way and whispered seductively, "Troy, I'm taking my top off," before leaping out of the way as the blue eyed boy shot bolt upright, rubbing his eyes as he turned to look at her, a frown forming on his face when he realised that she was indeed still fully clothed.

"Ella-la you l-lied to me," Troy hiccupped, his eyes wide with horror, "That's not what I opened my eyes for!" Gabriella giggled as he pointed at her hoodie, using one finger to flick the ties hanging from the hood in disgust.

"I know Wildcat, but I need you to be extra quiet and to come into the house with me, is that ok?" Gabriella grinned, addressing Troy as she once talked to the neighbourhood kids that she would babysit.

"Ooh, are we playing a game?" Troy questioned, his face directly in Gabriella's, who winced at the scent of alcohol on his breath, "Because me and Chad were great at playing the quiet game."

"I'm sure that you were Troy," Gabriella laughed, gripping his elbow as she locked the car and led him towards the front of the house, still amazed at how eligible Troy's talking was, in comparison to the bumbling idiot that she had left poor Taylor to take care of.

Stumbling into Gabriella's room, Gabriella deposited Troy onto her computer chair, quickly hunting around in her closet for some of Troy's old clothes. Pulling out a pair of his jogging pants and a t-shirt, Gabriella carefully made her way back over to him, smiling as she saw the teenage boy watching her closely. Stooping down, she started to untie the laces on his trainers, slipping of his shoes and socks before ordering him to stand up so that she could remove his pants. Trying to ignore the giggling Troy, the dark haired girl couldn't help the smile and the blush that crept slowly over her face at everything that Troy kept reminding her of, and the rude comments he kept making as she stripped him of his jeans and pulled on the jogging bottoms. Standing to her full height once more, Gabriella started to undo the buttons of Troy's light blue shirt, feeling herself heat up as he placed his hands onto her hips, steadying himself as his piercing cobalt eyes remained on her, his gaze unwavering. Troy only started to fight her when she attempted to pull the t-shirt over his head however, informing her that big boys did not wear tops for bed.

Laughing, Gabriella quickly shed her own jeans, hoody and t-shirt, slipping the top which she previously had out for Troy over her head. Knowing that he was still watching her the entire time, Gabriella was comforted by only two factors, one, he had seen everything before, and two, there was no way that he was remembering any of this in the morning.

"Ella," Troy started off pensively, causing her to look over to him as she speedily brushed her loose curls, "Are you sure you're eating enough? You look waaaaaayyyy to thin."

Chuckling, Gabriella moved over to her bed, nodding slightly as she pulled back the blankets on the bed, "Yes Troy, I am eating plenty thank you very much. Now it's time to get into bed, come on, you're already going to regret tonight in the morning."

"No I'm no-ot," Troy sung out, a cheeky grin covering his face as Gabriella started to laugh again, careful to have her features turn back to serious once more as she stood up and stared at the blue eyed boy, folding her arms across her chest and raising her eyebrows to show him that she was deadly serious. "But I don't wanna go to bed Ella-la that's weally borwin!" Troy whined, sounding increasingly like a child as his hiccups got the better of him and he allowed Gabriella to lead him to the bed, pushing him into it and onto his back, quickly covering him with the covers before he had any chance to protest. "Ella-la, where's Vicious?"

Gabriella chuckled quietly as she sat on the floor by the edge of the bed, thinking about the 'special' relationship that Troy and Pippin had shared over the year that they had been thrown together. "Don't worry Troy," She teased tenderly, "The big bad doggy's not coming to get you, she's locked downstairs."

"Good," Troy beamed, nodding his head once in an affirmative gesture, "Ella, come lie with me!" He grinned, peeling back the quilt.

Shaking her head, Gabriella watched him with wide eyes, knowing that realistically, she would give anything just to clamber into the bed with him, but knowing that she truly had to resist. "No Troy, it's time for you to go to sleep, now," She told him sternly, forgetting that he was the only one still alive that could read her like a book, sober or drunk, and that her eyes were obviously betraying her at this given point in time.

"Elllllllaaaaaaaaaaaaa puh-lease!" Troy pleaded and Gabriella couldn't help but burst into another fit of giggles, "Please Ella," he hiccupped.

Shaking her head, Gabriella gently ran a hand down the side of his face, "Tell you what, how about a compromise?" Grinning as he nodded, "If I sing to you until you fall asleep, will that satisfy you?"

"Ok then, what is you going to sing?" Troy questioned childishly as he continued to watch her through those tired large sapphire eyes.

Sitting back on her heels, Gabriella didn't even have to think as she started to blurt out their song, word for word, "And I'd give up forever to touch you,  
Cause I know that you feel me somehow,  
You're the closest to heaven that I'll ever be,  
And I don't want to go home right now," Feeling her eyes fill with tears, Gabriella glanced down and got lost in the oceans staring back up into her own chocolate orbs, his clumsy hand reaching up to wipe away the few tears that fell, giving her the strength to continue with the song once more. "And all I can taste is this moment,  
And all I can breathe is your life,  
Cause sooner or later it's over,  
I just don't want to miss you tonight.

And I don't want the world to see me,  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand,  
When everything's made to be broken,  
I just want you to know who I am.

And you can't fight the tears that ain't coming,  
Or the moment of truth in your lies,  
When everything seems like the movies,  
Yeah you bleed just to know your alive.

And I don't want the world to see me,  
Cause I don't think that they'd understand,  
When everything's made to be broken,  
I just want you to know who I am." Seeing Troy start to fall asleep, Gabriella stopped singing and left her hand soothingly running up and down his face, lulling him deeper into a dream world.

"I love you Ella," Troy whispered as his eyes shut finally and his soft snores filled the room.

"I know Troy," Gabriella muttered, pressing a kiss to his forehead as she stood up. Sighing, she ran a hand through her flustered curls, ignoring the tears flooding to her eyes as she entered her bathroom, filling a glass with water and grabbing two painkillers, placing them next to Troy on the nightstand, she smiled once more at the sleeping boy. Grabbing her armchair, Gabriella threw the cuddly toys off of it and dragged it over to the bed, wrapping herself up in a spare blanket whereby she could keep a vigilant watch on him for the duration of the night.

Gabriella watched Troy fall into a deep slumber, knowing that truthfully, the rest of the world would never understand their relationship as it stood, and that they would never truly see the special relationship that the two held ever again. "I love you too Troy," Gabriella muttered, drifting off into her easiest night's sleep since her Mother's accident, her hand clutching tightly onto one of Troy's.

**I hope that you guys enjoyed it, please review and I'm sorry for the epic authors note at the beginning!**


	8. Shadows

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys thank you very much for the reviews on the last chapter! Sorry for the wait on this chapter, but I will only be able to post maybe twice a week for the time being as I have important exams until the thirtieth of June. Anyway, I hope that you like it and please review! I named it Shadows after a song that I have recently become addicted to by Westlife, I would recommend anyone to listen to it.**

**But I see shadows**

**Everywhere that I go**

**It's you, reminding me**

**Of how we were**

**Of how it was**

**I see shadows**

**Everywhere they follow**

**It's you and memories**

**Of how we loved**

**I've had enough of your shadows**

**Shadows – Westlife**

**Chapter 8 - Shadows**

Waking up, Troy squinted against the bright light before quickly snapping his eyes shut again, his head feeling as though a freight truck had just struck it. Attempting to roll out of the bed in a mission to find anything that would stop his head hurting so much, Troy's eyes snapped open once more as he felt a weight on his right arm, trapping him from moving anywhere. His breath catching in his throat, Troy watched the dark haired girl sleeping peacefully, one of his arms curled underneath her while the other had apparently been wrapped over her top half. Sighing contently, Troy watched her for a few more minutes as her chest rose and fell gently with every breath, before wrapping his arm around her once more and falling back to sleep, trying to ignore his pounding head, along with the voice that seemed to be steadily repeating in his head that this was wrong.

His eyes fluttering open a few hours earlier, Troy automatically felt the tension in Gabriella's body, giving him an instant clue that she was awake. Groaning against the pain that was still plaguing his head, Troy couldn't help but smile at the way that Gabriella suddenly bolted from the bed, whirling around to look at him once she was in standing position. Eyeing him warily, she ran her hand through her dark curls and began pacing, "The aspirins on the side Troy."

Letting his eyes flicker to the side, Troy let out a yelp of joy that almost had Gabriella laughing as he rapidly downed the two small tablets and the water that she had left out. "What the hell happened last night?" Troy questioned, his head now resting safely in his hands, "I mean, we didn't umm, did we?"

"Hell no!" Gabriella yelled, causing Troy to wince as she spun round to glare at him. "Sorry," She muttered sheepishly and he just nodded, lying back on the bed once more as she continued her pacing. "You got way too drunk at that party you went to and when Tay came to pick you guys up, you refused to get in the car with her," Gabriella sighed, looking insanely stressed as Troy noticed that she was wearing one of his shirts, with nothing on her bottom half. "So she asked me to and what are you staring at? Troy Bolton sod off!" She shrieked, grabbing her jeans and running into the bathroom as Troy sat back on the bed, placing his hands behind his head and chuckling softly to himself.

"Oh come on Ella, it's not like I haven't seen you in less than that before and what can I say? I always loved your legs," Troy smirked as she returned from the bathroom, still glaring at him as she finished buttoning her jeans.

"That was different Troy, we were dating," Gabriella muttered, resuming her pacing, "Basically last night I picked you up and brought you back here because I knew that your Mother would kill you otherwise." Troy grimaced realising that had he gone home in the state that he was in the previous night, he would have been crucified. "How we ended up in the same bed I have no idea, the last thing I knew I was in the chair and you were in the bed and..." Gabriella trailed off unsurely, obviously getting herself upset as Troy crawled to the end of the bed, standing up and pulling her into his arms.

"Hey, hey sshhh Ella, it's ok Sparrow," He whispered, gently stroking her curls as the distraught girl buried her face into the crook of his neck and he could feel her ice cold tears gathering on his scorching hot skin. "If you don't want it to mean anything then it won't Sparrow, we can say that I slept in Chad's room, everyone will believe that if they ask, but I doubt that they will. G-d Gabriella, when did we get so complicated," Troy murmured, standing back and brushing her tears away gently with his thumb, flinching when she pulled away from him.

"There is no we anymore Troy," She cried softly, her eyes crimson from the tears gathering in them. "I can't do it, it's too complicated, this is all so shit and I can't handle it Troy, I really can't. This year has been the worst one of my life, and not only because of my Mother's death. I need to realise where I stand before I even contemplate another relationship. I don't even know who I am anymore," She whispered, wrapping her arms tightly around herself as Troy watched her, stunned into a silence of his own. "I still care about you Troy, last night proved that, but don't think that it meant anything, the only reason that I came for you was because I still couldn't stand to see you get hurt, even now after all of this," Gabriella glanced up, but barely looked into his eyes before glancing away once more. "I think you should go," She whispered almost mutely.

"Just tell me one thing Ella," Troy muttered, stepping closer to her as she took another step back, "You slept better last night than you have in months. I know that I did and I know exactly the reason, I was right back where I belonged again, finally. Finally, I had you in my arms once more." Pressing a kiss to the top of her head, Troy grabbed his clothes from the back of the computer chair and his shoes from the floor as he exited the room, closing his eyes in agony as he heard a sob of anguish rip through Gabriella as soon as he closed the door to her room.

Rushing down the stairs, Troy stilled when he reached the bottom, looking at the small bundle of fluff that was sat on the bottom step, her head tilted to the side as she held his gaze. Sighing, he dropped to one knee and beckoned the dog to him. Tenderly, he stroked the dogs' fluffy brown ears before patting down her snowy white back. "Go to her girl, she needs you Pip," Troy whispered, smiling as the dog yapped slightly before bouncing up the stairs full speed. Turning at the top of the stairs, the small dog growled at Troy and he chuckled, nodding once as he headed out of the house, knowing that their relationship had returned to what it had always been once more after the single moment of understanding between them.

Entering his house, Troy groaned sadly at the emptiness of it, realising that his Dad had taken the basketball camp to a weeklong competition in Arizona while his Mom started her business trip to London today. Entering the kitchen, a grin formed over his face as he started to pull the masses of ingredients out of the cupboard that he would need to make chocolate chip pancakes, Gabriella's favourite breakfast dish. "Perfect hangover food," He chuckled softly to himself, searching his memory for the recipe that Gabriella always used for the pair of them.

_Morning after  
Still lingers  
Just waking up  
I see a shadow of you  
Making breakfast for two  
I go driving  
Past our place and  
I see this girl walk by  
I smell her perfume  
For a moment I wish it was you_

Hopping up onto the bench, Troy let his mind wander back to the last time that Gabriella had made the pancakes for the pair of them, while her Mother was in Los Angeles for an important business meeting and Gabriella had decided that she didn't want to spend the night alone.

**5 months ago...**

**Hearing Gabriella singing along to Kelly Clarkson's 'My life would suck without you' as it pounded through the walls of the apartment from her ipod speakers, Troy chuckled and hopped out of her bed that they had shared the night before. Shrugging on a t-shirt, Troy all but ran from the room, eager to see his girlfriend of almost a year.**

**Leaning against the archway that connected the cosy dining room to the kitchen in the Montez's large apartment, Troy laughed softly to himself as he watched Gabriella dancing around the room, mixing the batter for pancakes and occasionally using her wooden spoon for a microphone. Pushing off of the wall, Troy slowly crept up behind her, wrapping one arm around her waist and sweeping her off of her feet as he did so.**

**Gabriella's resulting scream almost had Troy doubled over in laughter once more until he felt her wooden spoon swat down on his head. Almost dropping her, Troy groaned and placed his spare hand to his now throbbing head, placing Gabriella upright on her feet.**

**Gabriella placed one hand over her heart in a vain attempt to stop the pounding with the other over her mouth in shock as she watched Troy with wide eyes, her mixture now sat on the counter. "Troy Bolton!" She yelled, glaring at him, "What the hell were you thinking, you almost gave me a heart attack!"**

"**Ella, that is most definitely going to bruise over today," Troy muttered, rubbing a hand gingerly over the spot on his head that she had just hit. Feeling something wet hit his face, Troy's head instantly shot up to look at the giggling Gabriella, "Game on Montez," He grinned, grabbing another spoon from the door and scooping up some of the batter that Gabriella had just hit him with, firing it straight back at him.**

**A half hour later, Troy collapsed panting to the tiled kitchen floor, Gabriella collapsing beside him and placing her head on his chest, glancing around at the batter hanging from the ceiling, the wall and the light. "Well, I'm officially dead when my Mother comes home," She grinned up at him.**

**Laughing, Troy placed a kiss to her forehead and sat up slightly, bringing her with him. "How about you whip up another batch of choc chip pancakes and actually get them cooked this time while I clean up?" Troy smiled, grinning as her whole face lit up.**

"**Sounds like a plan to me!" She beamed, placing her lips to his and quickly capturing his mouth with hers in a passionate kiss before springing up to start cooking once more, leaving Troy surrounded by mess and covered in pancake mixture as he slowly stood up.**

Feeling a vibration in his pocket, Troy grabbed his cell phone from his pocket, "Talk to me."

"You have so got to stop answering your phone like that Bolton, it's so uncouth," The voice on the other end of the phone sneered, causing Troy to laugh slightly, "Anyway, Tay and I are in my pool and we were wondering if you want to come over and join us, G-d alone knows why she wanted me to ask you."

"Sure thing Barbie doll," Troy smirked as he heard Sharpay's seething on the other end, "But where's everyone else, are they coming to or will it just be the three of us?"

"First of all do not under any circumstances ever call me Barbie Doll ever again!" Sharpay shrieked ignoring Troy's laughter on the other end of the phone, "And secondly no, they're all busy. Ryan is golfing with Daddy, Zeke is babysitting Cooper, Zoey and Liam, which there was no way in hell that I was helping with, Kelsi and Jason are helping out at the ice cream parlour and Chad left Taylor's to hang out with Gabby while they wait for their parents to come home."

"I'll be over in like twenty Shar, I just need to finish these choc chip pancakes off first," Troy grinned, finally tucking into his well earned breakfast as he ended the call, still laughing as he heard Sharpay's grunt of disgust.

_I'm not gonna tell ya  
I'm not gonna say that I'm okay, no  
I'm tryin' to get over  
I'm tryin' to get far away from our mistakes  
_

Hopping down from the bench, Troy dumped his plates into the sink and grabbed his aviators, slipping them over his eyes as he exited his house into the blistering Albuquerque sun. Glancing to his next door neighbours' house, Troy felt jealousy bubbling up within him as he watched Chad hug Gabriella tightly as he entered the house, the pair of them laughing together. Running a hand through his shaggy hair, Troy opened the door to his trucks and jumped in, trying to rid his mind of the dark haired girl that haunted his every thought.

"Troy!" Sharpay yelled as he rounded the corner to the Evans pool, thanking the Evans butler Simon as he left the blue eyed boy to the mercy of the two teenage girls. Pulling off his shirt, Troy dived straight into the cool of the swimming pool, floating over do that he could rest on the side right in front of the two sunbathing girls.

"Hey Tay, Barbie Doll," he smirked, nodding to the pair of them as Sharpay glared at him once more, Taylor cracking up with laughter as she got up from her seat, handing Troy the can of Pepsi that she had pulled from the cooler sat between the two sun loungers she and Sharpay were lying on.

"Troy," Sharpay smirked evilly, causing Troy to look at her suspiciously, "Well, I was just wondering," Joining the pair now on the edge of the pool, Sharpay took a seat on the other side of Troy's folded arms, letting her legs dangle into the swaying pool water.

"This has to do about me and Gabriella doesn't it?" Troy questioned, pushing off from the wall and floating gently in the water, submerging himself before bobbing to the top of the pool once more. Troy ignored the smirk on Sharpay's face, the concerned look on Taylor's and the images of himself carrying Gabriella around the pool back in New York as he spun her around laughing.

"How did you guess?" Sharpay grinned, ignoring Taylor's elbow in her ribs, "What's it all about? I mean I'm really confused, you guys obviously have a history together."

"Basically Barbie Doll, she's my ex-girlfriend, the one that I am very much in love with still," Troy sighed, heaving himself out of the pool and squashing in between Taylor and Sharpay. "And I could really use the advice of both of you. Outside of my Mom, my Aunt Nicole and Kels, I respect you two the most for advice."

Looking stunned, both girls nodded slowly. "Shoot Troy, we'll help whatever way we can," Taylor smiled, grabbing his hand as Sharpay took his other one.

"Thanks guys," Troy smiled softly. "Basically I still love her, but I promised her that I would never leave her because everyone in her life always leaves her. At the very least I promised her that I'd always protect her, unfortunately, when I moved from New York that was impossible to keep, and if anything means anything to Ella, it's a promise, breaking them is like the worst thing that you can do to her," Troy sighed sadly and Sharpay and Taylor glanced at each other over his head, both of their eyes reflecting the sadness that he felt. "Then when she came here, obviously I felt that maybe I was getting a second chance. Unfortunately Sparrow has other ideas," Both of the girls' grinned at how easily her nickname rolled off of his tongue, "She needs me, she's just being way too stubborn. She needs someone who knows what her Mom was like and yes, I know that Kelsi knew her too, but as much as I love my cousin, I'm closer to Ella, and I know for a fine fact that she is terrified, and blaming herself for what happened to her Mother, I need to be there for her. She needs me to be there for her, but she won't let me be," Troy sighed aggravated as he glanced at Sharpay and Taylor individually. "She's my everything still, I need to make sure that she's ok, but do I do that by doing what she wants and let her go or what?"

"Troy, if you want my opinion, you need to fight for her," Sharpay grinned and Taylor simply nodded.

Taylor smiled and took over from her easily, "She may say that she doesn't want anything to do with you but I think it's a test Troy. She wants to know whether or not she can still trust you and therefore you need to fight for her."

"Yeah and you can start next week," Sharpay chucked, grinning at the pair of them, "Daddy told me yesterday that Lava Springs needs you all for the last month of the Summer because most of the staff are finishing early to go on their own holidays and what not. Therefore, you are going to be a waiter/caddy Troy, and Daddy told me that Gabriella has the qualifications to be the lifeguard and the swim teacher."

"Thanks girls," Troy grinned, pecking each of them on the cheek and getting onto his feet, but I better go and see if either of my parents' have phoned home because I was technically supposed to ring them when I got in and I forgot. Laughing, Troy left the girls' and started to make his way home.

"Do you think that they'll make it?" Sharpay questioned as they walked slowly back over to the sun loungers.

Shrugging, Taylor glanced at her blonde haired best friend as she slipped her sun glasses back on, "I have no idea Shar, I hope so and Kelsi seems to think they will, obviously she knows them best."

Pulling into his driveway, Troy smiled and raised his hand to Chad, watching as both he and Gabriella sprinted through the sprinklers, Gabriella screeching and giggling as Chad pushed her closer to the water. Leaning on his truck, Troy watched the happy brother sister duo, before catching Gabriella's eye and winking at her, chuckling as he saw her frown yet a glimmer light up her eyes as he vowed that he would get her back.

**Hey guys, thanks once more for the reviews from the last chapter I hope that you liked this one please review it and tell me what you thought!**


	9. I Want You Back

**Then and Now**

**Hey guys, thanks for the reviews from the last chapter. I really do love to hear what you think about the story and would love to hear any theories you might have on where it could be going! So please review, whether you loved or hated it, all feedback is useful and will hopefully let me improve the next chapter for you. Anyway, here's chapter 9, I hope that you enjoy it.**

**Oh baby give me one more chance  
(show you that I love you)  
Won't you please let me  
(back in your heart)  
Oh darlin' I was blind to let you go  
(let you go baby)  
But now since I see you in his arms  
(I want you back)  
Yes I do now  
(I want you back)  
Ooh ooh baby  
(I want you back)  
Ya ya ya ya  
(I want you back)  
Na na na na**

**I Want You Back – The Jackson 5**

**Chapter 9 – I Want You Back**

"Late once more Mr Bolton," A voice rang out as Troy dashed from the men's changing rooms, still buttoning up his baby blue shirt.

Smiling sweetly at the grey haired man, Troy looked him up and down, taking in his crisp pinstripe suit with the dark blue shirt and the bright pink tie that almost had Troy crippled in laughter. "Another year, some more quality time to spend with me, what can I say Mr Fulton? I just crave the punishment that I get from working here at Lava Springs and I bet that you missed me most of last summer really, you'll just never admit it though," Troy smirked coolly as the man's face turned scarlet to the point that he looked as though he may implode.

"Get in line Mr Bolton, you are lucky that it is the first day or I may have given you your first infraction, as it is, I will give you a warning for now, but that is it, any more lateness and you will earn an infraction," Glancing sternly at the smirking boy, Fulton let his eyes drift over the rest of his recruits for the remainder of the summer, some new, most returning for their second or third year such as Troy and the rest of the gang. "For those of you who are new to Lava Springs, first let me welcome you and ask you to stay well clear of Mr Bolton here or face being in severe trouble as he somehow always manages to find himself in," Glaring once more at Troy, Fulton's frown deepened as he noticed the teenagers smirk grow, while most of the new recruits looked simply terrified and Gabriella simply rolled her eyes, well aware of the trouble Troy could get himself into with employers. "And secondly, let Mr Bolton's lateness be a warning to all of you, any lateness and you will earn an infraction, any behaviour which I deem not correct for this country club will earn you an infraction. If you manage to receive three infractions," Holding his hand up to demonstrate, Fulton lowered his stare to meet that of the frightened recruits, all except for Troy of course that was, "Your employment here at Lava Springs will automatically be terminated. Do you understand?" Watching them all nod their heads vigorously, Fulton let a small smirk cover his lips. "Good, now..."

"Fulton!" A shriek automatically cut him off as Sharpay marched into the kitchen, carrying Pip under one arm as she had promised to babysit the small dog while Gabriella worked and being followed by her trail of minions Jackie, Lea and Emma. "There are little brats running around my sun lounger out there and I want them moved now!" If anything, Fulton and the new recruits started to look even more flustered, the gang each biting their lips to stop the laughter from escaping as Ryan ran into the kitchen, catching up with his sister and her entourage.

"Umm, yes Miss Evans, I'll s-send someone to sort that out straight away," Fulton stumbled, trying to blink away the blonde haired girls' glare.

"See that you do," Sharpay growled, narrowing her eyes at him before spotting the gang. "Hi guys," She chirped with a beam, all of them laughing as they muttered their greeting, ignoring the looks from the other new recruits and Fulton. "Oh my G-d Gabs, I totally forgot that you're our other lifeguard this summer," Sharpay squealed, grabbing the girl into a tight hug. Snapping out of his trance, Troy's gaze whirled to Gabriella, his smirk returning once more as he let his gaze slowly trail up her body, clad in the one piece red swimming costume and the white short shorts, as much as he would prefer her to be in a two piece and without the shorts, Troy had to admit that he thought that she was the only girl who could possibly rock the look that she was currently stuck in. "Ooh and you have to see your partner Shaun as well, he is to die for," Sharpay shrieked, earning glares from both Troy and Zeke as Chad laughed at the pair of them until Troy prodded him harshly in the ribs. Turning to Zeke, Sharpay grinned slightly, "What? I never said that I wasn't going to look, and besides it's not like I would ever actually act on his hotness, I've got something much better already. Toodles." Waving her finger tips, Sharpay disappeared from the kitchen, Ryan and the girls following straight after her.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Fulton stood up once more, clasping his hands together, "Right, Miss McKessie please sort out that problem as head of junior activities," He muttered, thrusting a clipboard at Taylor and shooing her out of the door. "The rest of you start working now, caddies you are required to wait at the front desk until someone requests your assistance as they will do, other activity managers you have your clipboards, go and find participants and get on with it. Waiters, you will wait in here and help to clear up ahead of the brunch time rush, new waiters will be trained by Mr Bolton and Mr Danforth, our most senior waiters, so help me," He muttered, watching Troy and Chad high five each other with large smirks, "Miss Montez please wait here for Mr Morris to come and get you, he shall be here in a few moments to come and get you before the pool opens. None of you bother me and I expect no complaints." With that last order, Fulton stormed back out of the kitchen.

"Well he's a bundle of laughs as ever," Chad muttered sarcastically, tilting his head to the side and shaking it slightly as the middle aged man left the door swinging behind him. Hopping up onto the bench, the afro headed boy grinned as his best friend who hopped up beside him and his sister who leant on the bench to the other side of him. "How far are you going to push him this year Bolton?"

Shrugging, Troy let the smirk float easily across his features once more, "Dunno, depends how much he pisses me off I suppose, currently I'm sensing two infractions by the end of next week and him itching to give me a third but knowing he can't because of Barbie Doll and Ryan. By the way Montez you're looking hot today but personally I preferred that white two piece from when we went to Hawaii with my parents."

Glaring at Troy, Gabriella grabbed her hoodie from the bench behind her and slipped it on, zipping it up as Chad lobbed Troy's apron at him, hitting him square in the face. "Whatever you say Bolton," She spat out his last name, but the amusement in both of their eyes was as obvious to each other as it was absent to everyone else. "Even if I was in a two piece there is no way in hell you'd be getting anything out of it would you?" She grinned smugly at him.

"Burn dude," Chad laughed, ignoring the smirk that was slowly crossing his best friend's features.

"Not what you said last time Montez," Troy sniggered, watching the smugness fall from her face and the disgust appear on Chad's. "Anyway, new recruits help them clear up the kitchen and then Chad and I will help you at brunch time. Basically start by carrying two plates at a time maximum, use tea towels or you will burn your hands, and flirt with the old ladies out there like your lives depend on them because essentially your jobs do and the more you do so, the more tips you will earn, now shoo."

"Dude that was just mean," Chad chuckled, watching them start scurrying about the kitchen as Troy shrugged slightly and Gabriella continued to glare at the blue eyed boy.

"What can I say, I still remember our first day here when Bobby and Sammy were left to boss us around, they made our first day hell, but it made it easier to deal with Fulton for the rest of the summer," Troy smiled slightly, letting memories of that first day two years ago flood back to him, when he and Chad had been lowly fifteen year olds quaking in their boots about working for such a posh private country club. These days, walking through the doors didn't even make them bat an eyelash.

"True, true," Chad smiled, one arm now resting on Gabriella's shoulder gently, "But I think that's only cause Fulton genuinely likes that you have the balls to stand up to him, not that he has any to stand up to any of the Evans'."

"Montez?" A voice questioned incredulously and Gabriella, Troy and Chad's heads snapped over to look at the tall figure that had just entered the kitchen. Clad in a white hoodie, red swimming shorts and red flip flops, Shaun Morris flicked the strands of his surfer cut cloned hair out of his emerald coloured eyes as he eyed Gabriella up and down. "It is you right Gabsy?"

Nodding, Gabriella's mouth dropped in shock as the nineteen year old in front of her grinned and held his arms open for her to fly into, hugging him tightly to her. "Shaun is it really you?" She squeaked in excitement as she pulled back slightly, brushing his blonde locks out of his shimmering eyes as he beamed down at her.

Glancing at Troy, Chad's mouth formed a silent 'Who?' Shrugging, the blue eyed boy continued to watch the two stood in the middle of the kitchen, Shaun's arms still wrapped tightly around Gabriella's tiny waist. His jaw setting tightly, Troy felt the jealousy flare up inside of him, his normally ocean blue eyes turning almost black in rage, his hands clenching into fists at his sides. Chad watched his reaction closely and gulped softly, placing a comforting hand on Troy's shoulder which the shaggy haired boy automatically threw straight back off.

"Yes Gabsy, it's me," Shaun grinned, placing both of his hands onto her shoulders and studying her closely, "You look great kid."

Snorting under his breath so that only Chad could hear, Troy started muttering softly. "Like hell does she look great. She's way too thin, she has massive dark circles under her eyes, her eyes have lost their shine and even her smile looks fake as hell," He mumbled so that only a wincing Chad could make out.

"What are you doing here Shaun?" She questioned the large, yet fake as Troy had deduced, grin still plastered on her face, "I thought that you and your family moved to Salt Lake when you left me to battle the clones all by myself in Portland?"

"Aww Clone wars, how much I miss those times Gabsy," Shaun grinned as they both remembered the time that they had spent together in Salt Lake City when her Mother and his Father had each been transferred there when they had been thirteen and fifteen respectively. "G-d I'd nearly forgotten about Flora and Fauna," He scrunched up his nose in distaste at the fourteen year old twin girls of their parents' boss when they had all been living there, "Man were they bitchy little brats."

"Yeah, but it was such an amazing game winding them up," Gabriella giggled, "Do you remember the time that we put a drop of chocolate sauce on Fauna's forehead and a drop of peanut butter on Flora's so that we could tell them apart? How the hell they never cottoned on is way over my head," She giggled more, Shaun's laughs joining her own.

"Damn straight, it's just because we were and are amazing," He beamed, "Although I think the best part was office days on the Saturdays when we had to go in with them and we got to play wheely chair races all day." Gabriella grinned nodding in agreement. "Although I always whooped your ass Montez!"

"Yeah right!" Gabriella grinned, shoving him, but catching him quickly before he fell into one of the waiters, his arms quickly slipping around her waist again, both Chad and Troy still glaring. "If I remember correctly Morris, you didn't even know how to play the game before I saved your very mundane existence."

"True I suppose," He grinned, "How's Maria anyway Gabsy?" He questioned, Gabriella, Troy and Chad feeling their hearts stop at the sound of her name, Gabriella instantly freezing where she was, her head facing the floor. "Gabsy, what is it?" He whispered with concern, placing two fingers under her chin and slowly bringing her face up to look at him.

"My Mom died at the beginning of the summer Shaun, six weeks ago yesterday," Gabriella murmured softly, her eyes flickering everywhere but to Shaun's face or the two boys' watching them from the sidelines, each ready to jump in at any time if they were needed.

"I'm so sorry Gabsy," Shaun whispered, gathering her in for a bone crushing hug. "I know how close the two of you were and I am so, so sorry, my Dad never told me."

Gabriella shrugged sadly, "I doubt that he knew Shaun, a company that size, they're hardly likely to put out announcements about stuff like that, most people won't have known or remembered her, even though I'm sure that we've probably been based at every single headquarters in the country and that one in London for a month. Anyway, what happened to Salt Lake?"

"Yeah, well hasn't every Landerson's Ltd. brat? Only replace London with a short stint in Rio for our family. Anyway my Mom and Dad are still living in Salt Lake, I actually have a little sister Annie now as well, she's three next week," He smiled softly and Gabriella felt her own face light up as he produced a picture of an angelic small girl with a halo of sun kissed hair.

"She's gorgeous," Gabriella grinned handing the photo back to Shaun.

"Talk to me when she's woken you up at six am and told you that you have to take her out for pancakes there and then," He grimaced as Gabriella giggled some more, "But, I decided to come to U of A for my college course, and I just got a job around here over the summer, but they're coming to visit next week for Annie's birthday and I'm sure that they'd love to see you again Gabsy."

"I'd love to, but not if I'm interrupting family time or anything?" She smiled memories of Shaun's warm parents and the time that they had all spent together with her own Mom as their own little weird family.

"Nonsense, they'd love it and you know it," Shaun laughed, pulling her closer and pressing a kiss top the top of her head as Gabriella threw her arms around him once more. "Love you Gabsy girl."

She laughed as they pulled apart, "I love you too Shaun."

Chad glanced at Troy who was now gritting his teeth in frustration and decided to intervene before Troy ended up in prison for murder and probably something else as well. "Briella, who is he?" He questioned, tilting his head innocently smiling at her as the pair jumped apart to look at the two boys', a faint blush covering Gabriella's features.

"Sorry, Shaun, this is my brother Chad Danforth," Glancing at Troy, Gabriella felt the breath leave her as she noticed how dark his eyes had become and wondered how best to introduce him, "And his best friend Troy Bolton." She muttered, glancing away from Troy although she could practically feel the heat that his jealousy was now generating. "Guys', this is Shaun Morris, his Dad worked with my Mom back when we lived in Portland, but we lost touch when his Dad got shipped off to Salt Lake and Mom was sent to Memphis."

"It's nice to meet you both," Shaun smiled, shaking Chad's hand but glancing at Troy with confusion when the blue eyed boy only sent him a glare and folded his arms across his chest. "Umm, anyway, Gabsy, we better go open the pool otherwise Fulton will have both of our heads."

"Good idea," She smiled and took the hand that he was offering her allowing the pair of them to stay connected as they walked out into the summer sunshine, Gabriella turning back momentarily to shoot Troy a fiery glare for being so rude to Shaun before laughing at something the blonde haired boy said.

"Well, this summer's going to be interesting," Chad muttered, clasping a hand to Troy's shoulder as the blue eyed boy finally turned his head away from the door. "But please don't start anything with him Troy, he obviously means a lot to Briella."

"Yeah, well she means everything to me," Troy muttered, stepping away from Chad's comforting hand, "And so help me G-d I will make her realise that she needs me just as much as I need her, as well as getting rid of him. Let's go, the brunch rush will be starting before we know it."

Wincing, Chad sighed as he followed Troy out into the dinging area, knowing that the summer was going to be far from quiet...

**Sorry for the wait guys' but my exams are taking everything right now, still one down, two to go, so hopefully the next chapter will be out soon. I hope that you did like this chapter and please review and tell me what you thought of it!**


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